Image by Arunachal Art

She Dreams Thinking

by Dodici Azpadu

1
A tempting teases Barbie. She dreams
Why is thinking so despised?
Why set alluring red fruit in the garden?
She confesses to Ken: in sleep the tree felt
fairer to her fancy than in daylight.

No bubblehead here; misgiving is adult.
Ken knows too, he reminds her that evil
in mind comes and goes. Silly girl to expect
paradise free of bad dreams and evil
coming and going.

2
Six-winged Rafael shows-off his plumage
on arrival. Harm is on the way, he warns,
be vigilant. Check the small print in garden lease.

Au naturale Barbie serves a wilderness
of fruits and nectars. After dinner,
Rafael relaxes on his feathers.
He and Ken smoke a joint and continue
real estate talk. God made you perfect,
not immutable. That’s the really small print:

If ye be found Obedient. More sinister
than suggestive, whispering
is the messenger’s threat.

Dodici Azpadu

Dodici Azpadu has been nominated for a Lammy Award, a New Mexico Book Award, and a Golden Crown Literary Award. She has lived on both coasts and many places in land, making an art of falling between the cracks, and currently teaches in New Mexico. www.dodici-azpadu.com

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