Guayaquil

 it’s not the heat;

it’s not even the humidity;

it’s the stillness. the air

clings. sticky. it’s like

the seven-day forecast called

for hot molasses. but

 

that’s how things are

in my life: the tar pits, moving

just enough not to sink

but without going

anywhere.

*

I can’t even

run

away from my problems

with these

shin splints

and the chafing

between my legs.

***

(Guayaquil, Ecuador -- December, 2021)

At the end of 2021, we learned my wife was pregnant. We decided to move to Guayaquil so that we could be closer to my wife's family during the pregnancy and first months of our baby's life. I'm from Minnesota, which can get hot and humid, but the hottest, most humid day in Minnesota is like an average day here. It's was a perfect metaphor for my life at the time as I was trying to just drag on for the next 6 or so months until things really started to happen.