2033 . . . Still Dreaming

Issis Paloma Sanchez

Jimi, it is twenty years into a new millennium and
The orange haze of western fires can be seen from New York.
Another man done gone, and another, and another,
another woman, too – sometimes, now, we know their names.
Too many of us to count, perishing in the shadow of false ikons. 
Self-proclaimed kings still blight Earth with the weight
of their purple thrones and the poison of their white lies.
They still don’t know rock ‘n’ roll. The waters
are rising, and the air metallic withers our lungs.
Jimi, we are still ignoring the truth you spoke clear –
Each, reduced to shadow, begrudges the other’s sun.
The desert’s churning hate spreads everywhere —
Soon we must all become mermen, or drown.

Issis Paloma Sanchez was born in Havana and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Classics. She has been writing poetry since the age of eight and is currently pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing at CCNY. Her favorite poets are Audre Lorde and William Blake. She enjoys reading myth, folklore, and supernatural fiction, and going on long walks with her canine companion, Anubis.