Corrosion and other poems
by Halcyon
Corrosion
My body is a tomb.
My body is covered in darkness
and the sting of my persecutors,
waiting for the touch of a torch
to draw the moths my way.
My body is a question,
an apology, a science experiment.
My body does not want to be seen
but yearns for the warmth of the feet that
walk above it.
My body is stuck six feet in the earth,
aching for the antidote of a stranger’s gaze.
The cavern in my chest
echoes empty from the years of soot.
Out there are the things of dust, decay, and
crumble.
But someday, someone will fossilize my body
years after it has turned to rust.
I need only step into the light
and lay it all down
Queers Don’t Die
I wilted
in the trenches of myself
that I did not want to accept.
Then reborn
into the palms of lovers,
and the laughter of friends;
We share the birthmark.
I am death.
The magic in me burns always
even after the flames and
smoke
had gone.
Full Name
Name yourself after cracks in sidewalks.
Name yourself after greek myths,
curses, and folkloric prophecies.
Name yourself after hurricanes,
thunderstorms, and canyons.
Name yourself after hidden coves,
deep kisses, and desert seedlings.
Name yourself after your ancestors,
lovers, songs, inside jokes.
Make it beautiful and terrifying.
Make it sandpaper in their mouths
scratching like an old record at the back of
their throats.
You might’ve found it in an oyster
or in the gutters of concrete cities,
in radio station static.
It might feel like home
or the shoes you were meant to fill.
Listen to it anyway, play it over and over
on train station platforms.
Just as long as you do it for no one else
but yourself
Halcyon (they/them) is a trans, non-binary and queer artist of Mexican and Pinay descent. They’re also an online sex worker and college student, soon to complete their Bachelor’s degree in Women’s and Gender Studies with a minor in Queer Studies. They find catharsis in the arts and believe it to be pivotal in reclaiming their sexuality, spirituality, and autonomy. Halcyon advocates for the re-indigenization of our cultures, land, and communities as well as the dismantling of imperial and capitalist systems that reign transnationally. Find more about Halcyon and other places to follow them at their personal site: http://kingfisherdays.com/
