beneath humanoid skin
thrums, tectonic hums
playful aroo and yip
vibrate my skeletal
soul, Taino fortold guide:
Opiyel-Guobirán
spirit dog of the dead
no mangy chupacabra
gentle wolf chews entendre
pyrrhic fog in my head
gender diasporia
pours euphoric, flowing
floral skirts imagined
latine fem from an island
mango, coconut, hurricane
light tan skin restraining
my sole skin rippling pond
meanings ripped from me
male whiteness i never wanted
"your" colonial mishearing
unimagines heritage
indefinitely detains
feral indigineity
infects with mangy intent
Opiyel-Guobirán is the dog-god watcher and guide to the skeletal dead in the indigenous Puerto Rican mythology of our shared Taíno heritage.
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