Tic tac toe, your brain is full of crosses and o’s –
a graveyard full of dead friends.

A scorpion sleeps on your left eye
and your left ear is a worm.

Your voice, a sirena in disguise
escapes with her three eyes, her three noses
and a fish hook strapped to her head.
Who will she catch now?

There is so much space within your dreams,
space enough for agave flowers to grow and grow –

Tic tac toe, a man holds up a leaf
larger than himself, a leaf so hairy and prickly
he struggles against the thorns –
but he knows how to signal to your dead.

Nearby, a lump of bacteria lies unnoticed.

Meanwhile, the scorpion begins to dream,
begins to sink deeper into your skin –