MILLICENT BORGES ACCARDI
It’s Almost Dark
And yet we remain inside,
as if living were a treat,
to walk around the block
unfettered is an adventure
not worth pursuing,
a blast for the words we
speak to scatter particles sparsely
into the air as our outer shells
harden and intensify.
We are here! It’s a party!
Almost as if we do not know
each other’s names anymore,
like the years we knew
outside confinement had
mushroomed away
Like a stark vision on the horizon
as we watch the sun go down.
As if to say, “Hey let this pass us by.”
Like a spark or a soft punch hit
to the gut, we are conjoined
in spite of ourselves, queer and clueless
as we approach the rim of loyalty, together
in a small space, our pairing off is a reason to advertise
our faith and contempt.
Millicent Borges Accardi, a Portuguese-American writer, is the author of two poetry books, most recently Only More So (Salmon Poetry). Her awards include fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Fulbright, CantoMundo, Creative Capacity, the California Arts Council, Yaddo, Fundação Luso-Americana, and Barbara Deming Foundation, “Money for Women.” She lives in Topanga, CA (in Los Angeles County) and has degrees in writing from CSULB and USC.