wrapped in         thin 
       saran *
       thoughts drum
       the inner walls  in waking measure:

  sleep begs an            inch
  yet
  duels with moon

    nothing functions  in desire    

     press and 
     pressing juice                             from rubber 
     grinding          
     pulp with
                                                          thumbs 

       revolving open-
       shut

      pit spirals up 
                                         toward the throat

toss hands 
                                                 high 
lay stones in neat
                                                 lines

wake up parched

drip 
water 
               between 

  the lace of each 
  contained                     muscle

locomotion burns
aroma seared     skin

blinded    
                                      by what  you can’t 

* polyvinyl chloride

---

Gaetano Barranca is a queer lebanese-italian-american born and raised on the pearl of the Atlantic, more commonly known as Staten Island, NY. He is a public interest lawyer by day and a writer and poet at all other times. His poetry has been published or is forthcoming from The Write Launch, BarBar, and Posture Magazine. In his free time, he thinks about going to the gym.