Spam
Hi Daniel. I am viktoriya. the skywatcher and fixer. Your handle grabbed
my eye, and I‘d adore to discuss stellar mysteries and fascinating talks. Down?
--from my email spam folder
Sometimes we shoot for the stars just to feel lauded
for landing on some version of the moon. The crushing
feeling of coming back to earth is foreign territory in
a space that lacks gravity. So when the employee asks
his new co-worker if she likes to party and she replies
about moderation, I know it’s her way of informing
him to please be quiet and keep making other people’s
sandwiches. I haven’t spoken to my brother in years
because of something he said, and though I’ve forgiven
him, like the unused mystery key on my keychain, I still
don’t know where he fits into my life. I have learned
the science of doors and the exaggerated squeaks in
movies is a manufactured sound signaling a warning
only the audience is privy to. And if you arrive late
because the concession stand was so crowded, the
protagonist might stare at the camera to say, You’re
on your own. The couple that met while placing first
and second in a taco-eating contest spent the rest of
their lives competing to see who could consume each
meal first and understands the importance of slowing
down to savor the decadence and deliberateness of
dessert. And even though it’s her first day, the new
employee is right. Because even constellations know
when to shine bright and when to glow just faint
enough to be seen, as if saving themselves for nights
when we look up to be reminded that discovery starts
with ourselves.
Daniel Romo is the author of Bum Knees and Grieving Sunsets (FlowerSong Press 2023), Moonlighting as an Avalanche (Tebot Bach 2021), Apologies in Reverse (FutureCycle Press 2019), and other books. He received an MFA from Queens University of Charlotte, and he lives, teaches, and rides his bikes in Long Beach, CA. More at danieljromo.com.