I don’t write poems at sidewalk cafes
exhaling swirls of youth into the ethers
I write poems on the toilet with the
door cracked
I write poems while my son
devours screen time
I write poems on my phone as a
cool cashier trains a new hire
methodically and slow
I write poems with the window open
for all the neighbors to see
I write poems with one ear
listening for the end of the show
a tune that tells me to
set my sights aside
and parent again with a paring knife
I write poems like making out with
boys in the back of a movie theater
my life reel playing in the background
I let words slip their soft teenaged
fingers down my top
I still don’t know how that
movie ends
Jazmine Becerra Green is a Jewish-Chicanx writer and poet. Her work has been published in The Boston Globe, Honey Literary, Bust.com, and Jewish Journal among others. Jazmine is a teaching artist for Get Lit–Words Ignite, where she guides young people in the art of spoken word. She also hosts a podcast called First Words, which explores the messy space where parenting and writing collide. You can find more of her work at www.jazminebecerragreen.com. Pronouns: she/her.