Exposure

extremely hot and humid

conditions will lead to

heart constraints

oppressive conditions

continue to surround

the valley, blankets

of heat and hate

110-117 degrees on friday

check the children

in uniforms, caged.

it’s persistent, i close

my eyes, ears, the door.

it’s there,

the birds mask

the songs

the boy being beaten.

We look in the air,

pray for silence.

look at the bird

on the fence,

rabbit playing in

the fields,

pretend the worst

does not happen/

will not happen

in our own backyard’s

in front of the bones

of people

we came to honor.

Our backs turn/tune

out

it’s not happening
it’s not happening
it’s not happening

prolonged exposure
can lead to
desensitization
remain inside.

Noemi Martinez

Martinez is a Chicana/Puerto Rican writer/poet living on the Tex/Mex border. She is a mother of two and the director/founder of a community group called CAFE Revolucion (Community Activists For Equality). She also facilitates in Writing to Heal Peer Workshops in her community. She publishes regularly in zines and at Hermana, Resist. Read an interview with Martinez here.