As it happens,
BY TANO RUBIO.
a series of likes is
choice management the algorithm
working 24/7
targeting me for ads that pretend to care for
my preferences which I didn’t know were preferences
until I saw them scroll by
standing in line with a whole generation
that searches for themselves amidst aisles
never finding a way out
my every move time stamped & I am
munching on data trends nacho flavored or is it cool
ranch aligning me more so that I am
subscribing every day and I never
eat a whole meal any more it’s all about the macro & micro
nutrients what goes in gotta come out
& how did I end up
in the freezer section contemplating
a Lean Cuisine?
Other White
BY TANO RUBIO.
In bed on Saturday morning,
sun peeped through blind cracks
at first thin lines stretched over one’s bed,
now covering whole walls ahead
my mother burned the edges of quilts to keep
ends of fabric fused, to strengthen our generational
circadians under age-old rags, to avoid pulling loose
fibers unfurling, to sustain this patterned
color Other--
warmth,
defined by its escaping shadow,
with abundant language, rising
indiscriminate, passes over
as we lie
tano rubio is a writer, performer, and teacher from East Tennessee. You can find tano rubio on Instagram, @tanorubio_.