remember noah

you have to understand it was so hot sand as far as the eye could see sand in teeth a sealess life every step a sinking a scratch every storm more sand no sweat when we danced pure salt in our lovemaking i tried to spit once it came out like a whistle my first period curry powder old wives spoke of tears we thought they were senile laughter was our wettest thing we prayed often to no one we believed in music dry palms clapping dust on ankle bracelets we threw tabla and daff caught spirit and sagat a blaring life the wailing or caesarean births widows' eyes wept wind even our tongues were tanned something sun-dried in every recipe rays were babies' first words you have to understand we forgot how to be thirsty mud by then was primitive splashing the stuff of legend only giddiness quenched us we were dizzy all the time in the world all the time then we heard him grumbling to himself something about forty something about a flood clad in sheep's wool he reeked of wolf shit something about monogamy something about shelter i thought: this must be heatstroke i thought: the brain of a six-hundred-year-old i thought: he is a conceptual artist the ark an installation his masterpiece took years took trees got bigger he was our favorite dirty joke beloved schizophrenic neighbor then he started preaching then he kidnapped pigs mosquitos doves things that wanted to eat each other stuffed onto the same boat we threw our heads back we slapped ashy knees we mooned him threw hot stones we streaked whistled in his face kicked the baking ship laughter was our thunder thing the lucky ones died laughing for centuries he warned us condescending motherfucker foaming at the mouth sweat dripping from his beard condensation how did we miss it? i have no words for the first drop cooling the cheek grandfathers raised their arms lightning made the children leap sizzle gave way to drizzle humidity taught humility we opened our mouths swallowing everything the clouds begat clouds began to bite us back panic soaked our slouching spines the instruments drowned first we played them sopping out of tune denial gave way to rivers i fell into a puddle my very first shiver the shock of cold water made me orgasm so all the times before had been dry heave? so this was mourning this was mikveh? the sky from blue to za'atar hail we choked god's vomit filled our lungs apologies bellyflopped reaching went out of reach we ran from high desert to highest mountain to whirlpool or choral grief if noah had keen merciful he would have taught us how to swim instead he saved two mice muttered prayers shut the door the best belly dancers became mermaids the dinosaurs learned to fly we never saw a rainbow our grave stones coral reef