Don’t be afraid. That unlucky
bastard who turned his back on you
and the baby will haunt like an Irish potato
in the time of famine.
There is no career in denying
he’s the father. He rides
against a crocodile to become
history’s double-humped yellow camel
grazing on the margins of your lives.
Trust yourself. Rip that uncertainty
from your eyes. Stop hiding
the child you carry.
She’s blessed with mother-of-pearl,
Atlantic and Caribbean fragrance,
and deep-deep, blue-blue skies.
•••
Sergio Ortiz is a retired educator, poet, and photographer. His poems and photographs have appeared in journals as varied as W5RAn.com, The Neglected Ratio, The Monongahela Review, Poor Mojo’s Almanac(k), WTF PWM, and The 13th Warrior Review. Flutter Press published his debut chapbook, At the Tail End of Dusk.
tongues of the ocean 