Memento Mori
I saw a crumpled SUV
at the foot of the mudslide.
Bumper formed a chrome parabola
like it was grimacing.
Two ambulances slowed down
ahead of me. I looked
at tiny drops of rain
pummeling my windshield—
Tart mush
of Prozac on my tongue,
empty bottle at my feet,
Dad pleaded,
No, don’t do it, don’t do it—
EMTs approached the SUV
in my rearview mirror,
rain slackened to a drizzle.
I placed a hand
over my heart, remembering
its resonant timbre.
Dani Putney is a queer, non-binary, Filipinx American exploring the West. They're often lost in the kaleidoscope of their intersectional identity. They love to spend time with their mom, who immigrated to the US from Cebu as a picture bride. Presently, Dani is infiltrating a small conservative town full of cowboys in the middle of the Nevada desert. You can find them on Twitter @01000100_Putney.