he's the fuckin' liquid i breathe
said a man about his friend
who he lusts for as a lover

silent moments
echo my yearnings
to hear esas palabras
miel dulce
de estar en the presence of your strength
envelope the serenity
of your spirit

desire
   decir
desear
   de ser
por fin amada

This work originally appears in alejandra ibarra's volume of poetry, Santa Perversa & Other Erotic Poems (San Diego: Calaca Press, 2001). Reprinted here by permission of the publisher, as part of the STANDARDS book reviews.