Turning the corner

All these empty promises—dreams
of pregnancies begun and disappearing,
a meeting I must attend
but cannot locate,

the work I must attest to. Clearly,
I am lost. Impotence this late in life,
six petals of ten spent, a litter
on the tile floor. When

can I forget? I turn the corner
of a hallway, dream house,
remember it’s my
second trimester.

My briefcase sprouts blue mold
and a river of marigolds
chases me until
I’m submerged

in impassable yellow. Even my newborn
resembles these familiar haunts.
The house I know
I know.

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Valerie Martínez’s books of poetry include Count; Each and Her; World to World (University of Arizona Press); And They Called It Horizon (Sunstone Press); and Absence, Luminescent (Four Way Books). Her poems have been published widely in journals, magazines, and anthologies including The Best American Poetry; American Poetry: Next Generation; Touching the Fire: Fifteen Poets of Today’s Latino Renaissance; Renaming Ecstasy: Latino Writings on the Sacred; Parnassus; Puerto del Sol; and Poetry.