Eggplant or plum or the shade of an index finger tightly woven with string.
Restricting circulation in body parts deemed trivial is a favorite activity
of young men simply hoping to stay afloat. After all, boys will be buoyant.
A surplus of blood is a matter of breadth and breath.
A surplus of blood also helps to spread the undead curse.
Vampiros lining up victims like groceries, drained purple, then white
like a bone picked clean, lying in powder snow. A string, like human hair,
can be used to sever limbs. Some people think breathing is underrated.
Some people think rocks inside deep pockets will prevent a body from surfacing.

Daniel Romo is the author of Apologies in Reverse (FutureCycle Press, 2019), When Kerosene’s Involved (Mojave River Press, 2014), and Romancing Gravity (Silver Birch Press, 2013). His poetry and photography can be found in The Los Angeles Review, PANK, Gargoyle, Yemassee, and elsewhere. He has an MFA in creative writing from Queens University of Charlotte, and he lives and teaches in Long Beach, CA. More at danielromo.wordpress.com.

Steve Castro‘s poetry is forthcoming in SLICE Magazine; PALABRITAS; Dryland; Até Mais: An Anthology of Latinx Futurisms & Speculative Fiction for Dreamers: A Latinx Anthology (The Ohio State University Press). It was most recently published in Hotel Amerika (w/ Daniel Romo); Guesthouse; Somos en escrito; HeartWood Literary Magazine (w/ Daniel Romo) & The Indianapolis Review. Kyle Dargan wrote, “Castro is taking his place in a poet constellation with other twinkling voices such as Walid Bitar, Elaine Equi and Charles Simic.” Birthplace: Costa Rica.