his soft slippers and leap
from rooftops. you lied to me

but I promised not to lose a single night
of sleep. I too shall have the very best
to wear on thoughtless nights.

and what was lost? there are poems written
on the leaves of trees where I sought to rest,
ecstasies you've never seen or heard.

miracle vendor, my face
has the dry expression of bones,
yet I no longer maintain a need for water.

Sergio Ortiz grew up in Chicago and San Juan, Puerto Rico; he studied English literature at Inter-American University in San German, Puerto Rico, and philosophy at World University. His work has been published, or is pending publication, in Cause & Effect, The Battered Suitcase, Yellow Medicine, Shipwright, and elsewhere