THREE POEMS by FAITH BENAVIDES

CONFESSIONS IN THERAPY

dear nobody,

she said “man, I felt mixed. almost

gone. look and imagine dusk.

a shadow or a song.

always swollen, ending.

a demon or a lion,

a slacker at the gate.

a dash. an hour.

but gone.”

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AREA UNDER CONSTRUCTION

I am overwhelmed and anxious.

I am avoiding therapy and pink pills.

I haven’t told anyone that my insides are starting to rot

and feel like old black sludge beneath a concrete pour.

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RUST

I see it in the corner—

the problem exists like rust

in a garden,

a slow decline.

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Faith Benavides is a Mexican-American poet based in Virginia. Her work has appeared in multiple literary journals such as Gardlyoo in 2013 and 2014, Blue Pepper in 2016, and Rly Srs Literature in 2019.