n a t a l i a

Natalia

i say it real deep, like im russian or something..she says it quick, a lovely little snap of the tongue and she is off on some other adventure and all i can do is follow.

but she is quick. curls flying, almond eyes, i can barely catch her.

we met in the northern rain, children following for empty promises, a bracelet and a contract. 

she was searching for the perfect bag and for pillow cases. i was cold and she gave me her feather leggings.

for five days i followed her.

sometimes drunk, always wet,herbal baths and happy water, mosquito nets and mountains.

nothing mattered.

time stopped, rain fell, it was our land!

we met again, in the south, the sun and the heat. 

she took me on the back of her bike, an endless narrative, her in spanglish, me in turkish curses.

we rode through the lawless veins of the city; seafood and sandwiches, trash and treasure,

the flat light of the equator, the smoke on our skin.

it was a little war, and it was fun.  it still is, though this place was hard for me.

i like the cold, i like weather, storms and waves and leaves that change with the seasons.

but not Nata. she makes mysteries, my witch, she sees magic in mud, little loves in the lizards,

sweet sweat, her rust glimmers, her shadows shine.  diamonds from dirt, from coal to crystal, Natalia can take you anywhere and you’ll love it,

because this girl, wild soul,

can build you into a thousand histories and in each history, there will be some kind of light