Collaborative Laboratory Collaborative Laboratory | Page 7

untitled ii

rafael de almeida

vapor rose from coffee mugs,

warming numb hands and cold bodies.

shower drains gathered melanin,

and bathrooms, steam.

pillows caught hope

and wind fished words.

trees whispered and leaves listened closely.

clouds simply watched, awaiting the sick sun.

against all odds, a door opened

and revealed a body.

the wind whispered to the body

and goosebumps answered on the neck--

the cold was warm.

the body looked at the trees and the leaves

and the clouds and the sky and the coming sun

and with closed eyes, the body whispered,

‘consume me.’