for Renata

for the kiss that never came

crawling on thorns of faith

hot vapor over cold ground

she mouthed every word

to every song

immunizing us against

San Valentín

two sides to every passion

a cantadora crooned

through each whisper of the heel

feet navigating the terrain

of together loneliness

sangria glasses leached

the pigment from our lips

trading its own hue

on our tongues

From The Sandpiper’s Spell, Ransom Poet Publishers