04 Sep An Awkward Lunch with the Queen
An Awkward Lunch with the Queen
by Christian Hanz Lozada
Midday, midweek, midsummer at the park
reading Matt Sedillo’s “La Reina” amongst
the domestic workers pushing strollers
filled with fair skinned kids.
I see them, Matt, the queens with their eyes
tired above Covid masks, straining on the hills
bracing and progressing tiny, naked white faces.
I see them, the queens, how they care about
the health of others, keeping their poisoned breath
from mine, keeping it from mixing with their charges.
I also see their employers, the faceless, subjugating
these tired queens by pulling the invisible strings
called supply and demand. I see them, the faceless,
allowing just enough slack to step outside,
to push some weight up hill, to quiet tears
they don’t want to hear, but not enough
to cover the fair’s mouth, not enough to protect
others from that poisoned air. I can feel the virus,
out at the park, infecting with each exhalation.
It feels so much like, a mindful,
meditative breath.
No Comments