"when the drought ended"

we speculated on how
the sky would fold
and dull the blades around our necks

one by one
we licked dewy petals
until we succumbed 

to the pleated soil
we sacrificed
our polystyrene tethers

we planted forget-me-nots
burned scorpion effigies
counted kestrels

flying into thunder
we renamed home

De Léon, César Leonardo. “when the drought ended.” Speaking with Grackles by Soapberry Trees. Flowersong Press, 2021, p. 26.