Mountain Smoke

written By

1.
I remember the promise of the mountains, the alpine summer breeze clearing
our pores, the entranced look you gave me on Highway 14

Remember the chip factory next to the hotel? That’s where you would’ve
transferred You said all I needed to do was find a job

2.
I remember our first lunch, spaghetti and meatballs There was something
passed in our gaze, something dangerous—beautiful and dangerous

I talked about her You talked about him We knew the stakes

Remember how I held you after the fallout? I said we had to move on, that we
had destroyed, and now we have to create

3.
Then there’s you

I remember your eyes sparkling like sunlit jade under the bridge, the cool
twilight rain washing the soles of our feet

I had pitted you against her And the damage was done

You were the only one who knew the whole story Remember how we left ours
unfinished?

***

I remember something else now

The mountains, they never promised me a damn thing.

  • Alex Z. Salinas is the author of three poetry collections and a book of stories, City Lights From the Upside Down (San Antonio Review Press), which was included in the National Book Critics Circle’s Critical Notes. His poetry collection Hispanic Sonnets (FlowerSong Press) is his latest book, with Trash Poems (Gnashing Teeth Publishing) forthcoming in 2023. Salinas holds an M.A. in English Literature and Language from St. Mary’s University, and lives in San Antonio, Texas.

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