Kings and Queens
© Gerry Gomez
by Ezana Salgado
A watched pot never boils;
Least that’s what my Mom said.
Contrary to her belief,
Reality pours
Grains lucidly
Heated on our hands.
Father came home
With hot liquid mannerism,
Physically enhancing
Through his brutality
What flavors
Would pour from his
Teabags today.
He never waivered
Nor softened
His blows
With honey, cream,
Or sugar;
He enjoyed it strong,
Manly strong.
So often
Man
In our house
Became a verb
Meaning how hard
You can hit a woman.
Women became
A numerical value
Meaning how long
Can you withstand.
In the simplicity of his mind,
All women are made
From leather,
Affixed to a stand
For his hands to meet.
This is why cowards
Have no muscle,
No matter the magnitude
Of their endeavors.
How cowardly
Does he have be to lay hand
On someone’s daughter?
Wipe away his fallacy
And say he’s
A man, a husband,
A King.
Lest you say the only King is a Queen,
Birthright has already done so.
He, ironically enough,
Once held his body so fragile,
So cowardly,
Only to wipe away his tears
And say,
This is my finest
Son;
This is my finest
Hour.
Bio
Ezana Salgado is 22 years of age. He started writing his works at the early age of 15, and is the author of an upcoming book An Angel’s Forgiveness published by Underwater Mountains. His progression in poetry dawned in recent years through the unfortunate circumstance of dealing with acute OCD. His journey of overcoming such an illness made him experience situations that matured his perception of the world and allowed him to meaningfully articulate these affairs through the brush of a pen. His work is what he considers his rebirth. He attends Santa Barbara City College (SBCC).
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