Sunday, June 23, 2024

Joseph as Neon Mary By Azul

By The Rising Phoenix Review on June 23, 2024

Joseph as Neon Mary

stitch by stitch the muscles wake
from makeshift bed, the oiled pearls
sudden starlight rubbed for luck
& he slips away under a daily halo

a regular stranger is how she walks
the hunt for gospel continues
in these streets where everyone ignored
spotlight demanded on her waiting room stage

for some winged angle with sterile gloves
feathers white, both contract & pen
to announce the drying of ink
fame eternal, that she is holy & wholly

but late for her shift, takes the ethereal step
red light blinking, nude Venus, begging hip
of another life of childhood dreams
of a lie like prayer tied to her feet

& the price for this kind of running away
is a new loneliness, the speed of hunger
sugar water licked in digital hutch
because ordinary life is worth cashing out

& after the odyssey across masculine desert
on stainless steel donkey yanking North Star
she is blameless of a previous name
gender refugee asleep in her manger

so blessed be the one who dies
reborn a new child of God

By Azul

Biography:

Azul is a puppeteer, playwright, and poet. He has worked with the Puerto Rican non-profit, Arte y Maña, as well as the historical political theatre company, Bread & Puppet. Azul lives in Seffner, Florida, with his mom and dad.