my birthday requiem for oshira -
hollywood boulevard and
silly wanderings spin circles around our
sun-kissed palms. i pull you
towards the library, towards
home, through onlookers
glaring at two teen tourists who
laugh loudly, ice cream dripping
down our wrists, warm breezes
carrying our spirits higher and
higher.
our lives drift from us until
only now stares us in the
eyes, only polaroids of winding streets and
five-star hotels and
food that fills us up in
moments.
we blast our music with the
car windows all the way
down, our long hair
billowing around our faces,
smiles never ceasing to
spread through our cheeks.
the world was ours; the
universe bowed at our feet,
dresses made from
sea pearls and silks from
deep in the earth adorned
our glowing bodies.
colors brighter than
neon vegas lights swam in
swirls around us, projecting us
closer and closer
to the clouds that
drifted above
hollywood boulevard.
no matter
how long we
stay up with
face masks on and
a two liter bottle of
dr. pepper between us,
i can’t recall a
single second when we
didn’t have anything
to say.