Sex+: “Flood Lesson (for Kids)” by Briana Gonzalez
Flood Lesson (for Kids):
we played in the storm drain slip of the sole strike of cement sometimes we cried just to absorb the echo we prayed then prayed the gay away then pantomimed our long queer lives our ten-year dream we pretended to understand what wet meant played saliva slip-and-slide we whispered la llorona la llorona la llorona like mexican bloody mary with eternal maternal instincts the storm drain spat out our faggot fantasies our first femme fatales no room for el ojo no room for us to hide in san antonio’s summer we played dress up then dress down flicked off the bathroom lights let the sink faucet drip said miss llorona where are you sad lady we’re the rare occasion asking to be snatched and saturated we needed someone to kiss our foreheads call us pobrecitas
until you emptied your house found your bedroom fan found your neck decided maybe our dreams weren’t tangible enough found a new way to bend yourself forgot about the storm drained your lungs dried up the echo i finally made contact can you believe it la llorona held my hand taught me the rules every drop of water every cruel elegy so i run off to runoff my righteous sobs my puddled map our immaterial mother she cups my cheek she plunges me closer to you
About Bri Gonzalez
Bri Gonzalez (they/them) is a Chicane/a writer with bipolar II disorder. They're currently an MFA candidate and instructor at the University of Colorado Boulder. Their work can be found or forthcoming in Crow & Cross Keys, Juke Joint, Janus Literary, Talon Review, and more. In their free time, Bri enjoys playing inordinate amounts of D&D and bothering their void cat, Dahlia. Check Bri out at bgwriting.org or on Twitter @bg_writing.
