SoMa Literary Review - 280 Under/pass

280 Under/pass

By Jovon C. Johnson

I discovered Rita

Head elevated in yesterday’s trash

Of Contadina, mumbling molded

Marble meat, abstracting crusted

Colombo sourdough from

Cola soiled russet bags

She mined nickel bottle cans

Draped sweet corn molars

In tar gums, rolled solid

Ashen Albacore in second-hand

Wendy wrappers and tucked Del

Papa stained Ostrich beneath her

Shit rags and used sanitary pads

Rita broke open putrid fallen citrus

Starred white sotted at the Sun

Arranged her belongings on frayed

Scent urine thyme cement, built

Shelter from Kashmir spinach cardboard

She whistle wondered the impassive

Avenues, stopped sporadically to

Unannounced guest, whom handled

Her like molded sour musk melons

Laughed at her knit tattered flower layers

And swung Chanel against their

Ostentations saunter

Rita did not snatch cheek pink Chanel

Rub it in the sweat of her under breast

And rest it inside the crinkled can collection

Instead, Rita found the Sun waiting

To be watered and extra nickel bottle cans

Removed from the eastbound underpasses

Jovon C. Johnson studied poetry with mentors Amaud Johnson and Douglas Kearney. He resides in Oakland , California and is currently working on a chapbook.