passively, with known intent
lie to him, listen
_to the hummingbirds, lay
___in bed a bit longer, laugh
___and pretend to hate the smell
_of heat and give over the thought
of this call as just another
_sex call, cut acacias into squares
___and put a petal fitted sheet
____on the bed, rip it down the middle
___with sharp leaves and his open wallet
__wall yourself in silk streams
_of slow dripping water, and forget
to tell him that the dead fake baby,
__the twitching bird in your palm,
____the biting grass, the price
____the peace
___was rehearsed, he is king
__and your rest is in the cut
_of your eyes, the flail of your mascara
__running all the way down and up
__inside of you, as you stare,
_so passively
with known intent, a pretty girl
_in a picture in the sand
Nikia Chaney has been published in over ten literary journals including upcoming publishings in New York Quarterly and 491 Magazine. She is currently in pursuit of a PhD in Creative Writing, completing transfer coursework at California State University San Bernardino. Nikia teaches poetry workshops for both San Bernardino Valley Community College and for the Inlandia Institute literary center. She has also taught poetry classes for children. Nikia came to poetry through her combined love of science fiction (yes science fiction) and music and language, often pushing the boundaries of syntax and explicit meaning in her work. She lives with her husband and her five (yes five) children in the Inland Empire.
