what pretty, manicured lawns.

         Kentucky blue eyes, I heard.

to discuss the root veining through soil,  

and not the snapping sound

                                                       of excision

is a cultivation of mirrors.

you will lose your country, she shouted

in the canned goods aisle.

when she picks up the

laundry, dry cleaning, dinner:

those are good ones, I heard.

© Jeni De La O

Jeni De La O is an Afro-Cuban poet and storyteller living in Detroit. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Obsidian, Fifth Wednesday, Rigorous Magazine, Okay Donkey, Gigantic Sequins and others. Jeni founded Relato:Detroit, the nation’s first bilingual community storytelling event, which seeks to bridge linguistics divides through story. She is a Poetry Editor for Rockvale Review and organizes Poems in the Park, an acoustic reading series based in Detroit.

Twitter: @jenidelao