Pichincha Blues
Taylor Gianfrancisco
The mountains have scratched
the color off heaven— I can taste
the blues dripping into the empanada
that is not hers. In the spring water
when I submerge my head even
when I’m not supposed to.
At the marketplace where I try to
haggle for a blanket woven with dyed
llama hair. (¿Cuánto cuesta esta
manta?— Cinco.) In a museum,
a portrait of mother and child
has the same imperial blues.
I can also feel it in the weight
of waking up in the mornings
and not remembering that
I am nine thousand feet higher
and two thousand miles further
away
from home.
Taylor Gianfrancisco is an MFA student at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She has work published at Dark Matter, Vamp Cat, Bone & Ink, and Half Mystic. Her book, "A Delirium of Flowers," was published last year through Ghost City Press. She lives & teaches in Orlando, Florida.