Gray birds made of marble falling from the sky

Swamp oaks taking two steps forward, if you look closely

Levee water levels rising exactly by four feet

New bridges made of glass suddenly appear over urban canals

Storefront signages swapping places, making sense

Picnics two feet below sea level – in the thousands

Girls with brown eyes rolling boulders into pyramids of gold

Girls with blue eyes casting steel hooks onto silver gates

Girls with green eyes forming a field of grass to skip on

Red, chrome-out chopper cruising the streets, no rider

Purple sun painting twelve windows onto local birthing center

Hell, the word, the concept, scaring no children at this hour

Heaven, the word, the concept, wood cube in dank attic, rotting

Two-minute clip of brawny man battling an alligator in loop mode

One-minute clip of young boy twirling brawny man in loop mode

Sundown western breeze fanning ice tower evaporations

Blank stare of a statue on an iron barge seaward bound

Bats across a full moon portrait in a trash bin flaming

Canoe made of pure sugar gliding over asphalt streets at midnight

Thirty second clip of diamond-toothed baby in loop mode

Bayou bugs onto a fourth generation since yesterday morning

Yellow birds made of polyurethane come to a consensus

Fifteen second clip of upside-down city skyline

Justice, the word, vision, in an orange cloud, distending, glowing

Seven and a half second clip of pencil frolicking on white paper

Four-hundred-foot mound of multicolored masks and panties toppling

Deceased couple with brass canes crossing glass bridge at dawn

Traffic barricades napping again, if you take a glance

Rodrigo Toscano is a poet and dialogist based in New Orleans. He is the author of eleven books of poetry. His latest books are The Cut Point (Counterpath, 2023), The Charm & The Dread (Fence Books, 2022). His Collapsible Poetics Theater was a National Poetry Series selection. His poetry has appeared in over twenty anthologies, including Best American Poetry and Best American Experimental Poetry (BAX). Toscano has received a New York State Fellowship in Poetry. He won the Edwin Markham 2019 prize for poetry. rodrigotoscano.com @Toscano200

Hypertext Magazine and Studio (HMS) publishes original, brave, and striking narratives of historically marginalized, emerging, and established writers online and in print. HMS empowers Chicago-area adults by teaching writing workshops that spark curiosity, empower creative expression, and promote self-advocacy. By welcoming a diversity of voices and communities, HMS celebrates the transformative power of story and inclusion.

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