champion* they whisper as he struts down the hallway
head held high
shoulders back, chest pumped out
his two best friends flanking his sides like guard dogs
hero the voices surround him
fawning, falling over their feet
to be the first to praise him
to get a minute to bask in the glow of his attention

but they don't see him when he's alone
******* to the very picture of masculinity
washing his hands in a daze
trying not to cry when he can't sleep at 4 am
thinking thinking thinking

they don't see his parents
not technically fighting nor abusing
but they don't speak to each other
his father sleeps on the couch
his mother cooks a hearty dinner
then eats a salad, no dressing please

they call him a champion
but he isn't all that different

A nossa terra nos ama

Agradeço a meus pais pela vida,
Sinto minha terra esquecida,
Falo com ela por telepatia,
Sol bendito que irradia…

Pintassilgos cantam em cima das amendoeiras,
Melros pretos em cima de verdes figueiras,
Raposas que passeiam e bebem água no rio Tua,
A nossa terra é tão bela como a lua.

Que singelas são as pedras da calçada,
Olho o horizonte que parece feito do nada,
Prazer eterno de sempre te amar,
Minha terra, meu doce lar…

Victor Marques

We all
Dance around
A fire with lipstick
On our cheeks in lines
                                     Powdered in patterns that*                              will
                         ­           Accentuate the contours of our                      bodies
                                ­     Symbols written  in eyeliner so                     daintily
                                  Adorned like ink meeting paper                        we are
                             Decadent 287 temptation 285 ****** 307      flame 300
                          The savages you have created with media       we chant
                         Eninimef  eninimef  eninimef  eninimef      we chant
                         In a circle circulating the world with our starving
                         Bodies that whisper of synthetic beauty     and
                    Neglect naked and perverse we are posing
                   For your cameras capturing exploitation
                   And degradation because ****** 307  we
                    Are ****** 307 temptation 285 the savages
   You          have created with media eninimef we chant
We are      the heat of broken records and burnt out cigs
  Play us   like  your out of tune guitar our G-strings are so
   Much more loose unlike the noose of your hands grazing
      Our skin we sing what you want no matter how deep
No matter how long the song we are exactly what
You want *the savages you have created of me –
The savages you have created with media –
Eninimef  eninimef eninimef eninimef
We chant – we chant – we chant – we
Decadent 287 temptation 285
****** 307 flame 300