Out of Time
let’s say the spider
measuring time is dead–
in summer,
hummingbirds dance
around your face
let’s say mannequins
shin up the backs
of ghosts in a fire–
you fall flat on your ass
while listening to music
let’s say
I won the race
and my shadow–
my treacherous shadow–
was my only competitor
~~~~~~
I sleepwalk
on the ridge
of a poem
I’ll never perform …
the storm inside
you are my water,
the source of my art …
whatever I may lose
it’s always you
wearing my sunlight
there are times
when the world is a lost
connection…
all that exists is a dead boy
on a Palestinian street
Sergio A. Ortiz is the founding editor of Undertow Tanka Review. He lives in San Juan Puerto Rico. He is a four-time nominee for the Sundress Best of the Web Anthology, and a two-time Pushcart nominee.