was a sunlit swig
of open mouth taste of apricot rain and tongue in the back-
yard at the house in Carthage a boy in red pants and silvertone chain
from his navel came tumble-dried flames licking his chest of crossbones
plus: a skull a bong a hard-on for someone else
but Maeve just over the fence with chocolate hair
afternoon tunneling from there
Tina Cane was born and raised in New York City. She is a poet, teacher, and founder/director of Writers-in-the-Schools, RI. Her work has appeared in numerous journals, including Barrow Street, Hanging Loose, The Literary Review, and Spinning Jenny. She lives outside of Providence with her husband and their three children.