War is a woman's body.
after The Origin of Bananas
War is a woman's body.
We watch the house wrap itself around her.
Light and heat return to the earth.
Afterward, an ember glows itself into a tree.
We pick the fruit to eat it.
This we call peace.
Maria Bolaños (she/her) is the General Editor for Marías at Sampaguitas. She is a Filipina-American poet and book reviewer and is committed to building spaces to nurture and showcase Filipinxao literature as well as Black, Indigenous, and POC literature. Her most recent poetry focuses on Fil-Am diaspora culture, and on retelling Philippine myths. Her writing has been featured in Touchstone, Antigone, Chopsticks Alley, and the International Examiner, among others. Outside of her work with this magazine, she has also recently begun working with a labor rights nonprofit organization. Maria lives on the stolen Gabrielino/Tongva land, Tovaangar. You can follow her poetry, essays, and book reviews on her Instagram, @mariabeewrites. If you wish to use prefixes, please use Ms.