{"id":329,"date":"2009-09-01T12:44:09","date_gmt":"2009-09-01T17:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fullofcrow.com\/poetry\/?p=329"},"modified":"2009-09-01T12:44:09","modified_gmt":"2009-09-01T17:44:09","slug":"sandy-benitez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fullofcrow.com\/poetry\/2009\/09\/sandy-benitez\/","title":{"rendered":"Sandy Benitez"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nightmare
\nSandy Benitez, September 2009<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n


\n<\/strong>I awoke possessed by the sun
\nstrangling me with octopus arms.
\nA loud cough expelled from my throat
\nlike a demon exorcised.
\nThe air was dry–my reasoning.<\/p>\n

Above, the ruby stained glass
\nand wood cross dangling from the wall
\nmimicked a cathedral’s cavity.
\nScent of burned candles lingered
\nbeneath a singed spider’s web.<\/p>\n

I said a prayer–waited for a sign.<\/p>\n

But there was none.
\nOnly the rustling of moth-eaten curtains
\nagainst the window pane.
\nThe buzz of a fly hunting feces.<\/p>\n

Where was the voice to proclaim
\nthat everything would be okay.
\nThe same voice I heard
\nwhen I was a child,
\nsqueezing tiny bones together
\nas she whispered “goodnight.”<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Limbo
\nSandy Benitez, September 2009<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n


\n<\/strong>Over the years,
\nthe dusty town in the desert
\nseemed to suffer from osteoporosis.
\nShrinking half an inch or more
\nas the cactus grew taller
\nand the sun became angrier.<\/p>\n

The population had also shrunk
\nfrom 500 to 243. There was one
\ntraffic light that no longer worked,
\na cafe on the corner, and a barber shop
\nthat offered free haircuts on Saturdays.
\nRickety houses did their best<\/p>\n

to stand on rotting legs. Stray puppies
\nran in circles, chasing pickup truck
\ntires as if they were their mothers,
\nbloated from starvation.
\nThen one day, a little black puppy
\nreturned with a tiny skull in its mouth.<\/p>\n

Townspeople gasped in horror, wondering
\nif the skull could be that of a child
\nwho died violently. Never realizing
\nthat all of them had died long ago.
\nWalking in limbo like the lost puppies
\nthey pretended not to see.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the Orange Room
\nSandy Benitez, September 2009<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n


\n<\/strong>a hand-sewn quilt spreads its wings
\nlike monarchs gathered on broken bark.
\nSoon, it will greet the sun. A daily
\nritual accompanied by a pristine tray
\nof fruit and frothy cups of cappuccino.<\/p>\n

The remote will rest comfortably beside
\nthe man of the house. If it had a heart
\nand fur, he would call it a Pomeranian.
\nAs a consolation, he names it Valencia,
\nafter his first love.<\/p>\n

The volume on the television heats up.
\nOn the screen, cracked desert and cries
\nof AIDS infected children can be heard.
\nTheir emaciated bodies heaving beneath
\nblotches of red sores.<\/p>\n

“Ever heard of birth control?”<\/p>\n

He throws a grapefruit rind in the trash,
\nmisses the mark and curses its station.
\nBored, he channel surfs. Burps and licks
\nthe sticky residue from his fingertips,
\nleaving Valencia in a cocoon of juice
\nand white pith.<\/p>\n

His stomach is queasy. He would replace
\nValencia soon. Averse to ugly.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sandy Benitez was born in Selma, Alabama and spent her childhood traveling the world as a military brat. Her poetry has appeared in over 85 print and online poetry journals such as Contemporary American Voices, Falling Star Magazine, The Clearfield Review, Tipton Poetry Journal, The Orange Room Review, Elimae, and Loch Raven Review. Sandy currently resides in Wyoming with her husband, 2 children, and 2 chocolate labs. Her first book of poetry, Ever Violet, by D-N Publishing is available by contacting the author at SandyB1070@msn.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nightmare Sandy Benitez, September 2009 I awoke possessed by the sun strangling me with octopus arms. A loud cough expelled from my throat like a demon exorcised. The air was dry–my reasoning. Above, the ruby stained glass and wood cross dangling from the wall mimicked a cathedral’s cavity. Scent of burned candles lingered beneath a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-september-2009"],"yoast_head":"\nSandy Benitez - Full Of Crow: Poetry (Archives)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fullofcrow.com\/poetry\/2009\/09\/sandy-benitez\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sandy Benitez - Full Of Crow: Poetry (Archives)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nightmare Sandy Benitez, September 2009 I awoke possessed by the sun strangling me with octopus arms. 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