“Al Mercado”

Al Mercado (At the market)

Posted by Dona P.

 

Skin to skin, follicle to follicle

With every bodily shift

I am attached, a human velcro,

To the tan stampede rushing beside me

To focus I stare at the corner

Swaying at the traffic’s tide are

Skinned chickens, pink and wet and bumpy

as if in a constant goose bump fright–

3 bulging orange sacs enthroned in its ribcage

also dancing aroudn while entangled in its bulkiness

Dead chickens are always awkward to look at

Naked, long necked specimens

Skinless webbed feet,

Neck dangling from a rusted hook

I look away to give it some privacy,

but my eyes only turn around to meet another pollo after pollo

until I am spinning around in circles at the market

with a red backpack in front of my chest

Just heavy enough to strain my neck but

Not heavy enough to break it.