Together Irreplaceable

by Sandy Benitez

You thought of me as your Queen Isabella,
as if I had sent you away to discover
new worlds, to discover whatever may exist
beyond what the naked eye could see
and claim it in my name, my honor.

I imagined you chatting with the birds
on The Canary Islands, sipping rum
on the beaches of The Bahamas,
all the while battling the easterlies
with the bravado of a Spanish conquistador.

Months drifted by like the Santa Maria
and still there was no sign of you.
My heart sank, heavy as gold bullion
with hope dying in the gilded birdcage
beside my bed beside the broken window.

Birdseed and feathers matted together
like an old couple lying on a deathbed,
waiting for the clock to strike;
neither one more precious than the other
but together irreplaceable.

The Dance

by Sandy Benitez

Secretly, I'm a gypsy just like Stevie.
Twirling around in layers of chiffon,
dancing to music only heard by birds. 
 
At the grocery, I patiently wait in line,
clutching my straw tote and a bouquet
of paper flowers. Each one buying me 
 
time, a bag of crisp nectarines and
vitamin C. The tabloids tell lies
about people I will never know and I feel
 
no empathy. My diamond ring glistens
under fluorescent lights like Sarah,
the poet in my heart. Every other day 
 
we exchange notes, written on soft hands.
The plucked feather of a one-winged dove 
scribbles my dreams as I walk home. 
 
My ballerina flats begin to wander
towards the horizon. I tell them it's
not time. Until the music stops, 
 
the dance will go on.

Mad World

by Sandy Benitez

It's Halloween
and I'm attending
a masquerade ball
dressed as a Geisha.

Zombies saunter by,
leaving trails of toilet
paper and irritating moans.
Vampires offer me glasses

of bloodwine
but I politely refuse.
Ask if they have Saki
instead. One hisses at me

and I check his bottom
for a tail. The clock
strikes midnight
and suddenly the room

is spinning, no disco lights
to be found. A skeleton
approaches me, smelling of
sulfur. Says he'll show me

Hades for a copper penny.
With a wicked grin
I tell him we're already there
and all the madness

is completely free of charge.