a new memory
their lips press / the soft of my neck / tenderness seeps into / second layer of skin /
a portal set on fire / blazing heat pummels / vertebra twisting / spine bending / body closer /
only after this / my mind arranges / the pressure of their kiss / a new memory /
housed in my brain beside
smooth honey / spiced chai / fresh linen / hot sun
andrea isabel is a first-year MFA in Writing student at the University of San Francisco with hopes of sharpening her craft in order to contribute to ongoing, revolutionary conversations spearheaded by Black and brown authors like adrienne maree brown, Gloria Anzaldúa, and Angie Cruz—all of whose works taught her that vulnerability is a strength, and the pursuit of collective freedom requires that writers confront universal truths. when she is not writing on leftist topics, she is spending time at local galleries, taking walks along the waters of beaches with her dog, and writing beside the lake about Lesbian love.