San Gabriel Valley Poetry Quarterly

Michael J Cluff
Rations
 
Parsing out the sauce
qualified to be processed,
rejected and ptomainized
stopped Maria from
topiary classes on Sunday
under Mister Aguilar's
viral oppression of Carmel's
waves impeding his least-known
xenophobic carbolics
yearly analyzed from
zero to wingtips,
acerbic bow ties
bell rung to infinity.
California oceans
decline in sea urchins'
equality to Maria founded
further need to patronize
Gerald's passionate answers,
houndtoothed sports coats,
independent revisiting of bassets
joining the belabored fog
kleigging into months of moths
luring Aguilar back to the shore
Maria malingers on
nurturing Gerald's dream
opaline and ambiguous.