There Is a Place
There is a place
with waxing armpits on video in the kitchen
a room where a man plays computer games
and liked brunettes over blondes
There is a living room
with a sword collection
and a couch
where adults bet over competition shows
and a nine-year-old girl with recently divorced parents
away from home
tried to learn how to play a song
on the blue guitar her grandma got her
but never got to
before they had to leave
There is another place
with a green roof
that covered rainfall
but could never stop
the water damage liquor has
on a family
There was sherbet in the kitchen freezer
and a pull-out bed with sharp edges
a free Nintendo 64 discovered in the dumpster
and a chocolate bar golden ticket
that wins you free trips to motels in the middle of the night
And there is an orange cat with no tail who lives there
after being brought back from ohio
that got declawed and became depressed and fat
There’s a pool in the complex
where you lose anklets from fake girlfriends named carey
and a vase gets broken on the floor
and a lie is told about curtain rods
and so you pack up your barbies and leave for a new place
but the smell of cigarettes
comes with you
There is another place
with vertical wood panels as wall coverings
that look rustic
but don’t drown out the sound of crying
There is a laundry room where kids play hide and seek
and speculate about ghosts
There is a mattress against the wall
marker on stomachs
the taste of rotten cheese
and food pantry chicken pot pie
There is a balcony
where custody is discussed
and hour-long phone calls are made late at night
There is a heater that doesn’t work
but centipedes live in
and there’s a white christmas tree with no presents underneath
and white diamond perfume on a pillow
and white and black stuffed tiger named savannah
There are snowbank forts
and pink storage containers
an entertainment center that wants to fall over
and a breakfast bar that no family dinners are eaten at
There is a guy who lives in a place
around the corner, identical to this one
(and the forty around it)
who shows neighborhood kids
his lighter
and says he can’t feel pain
There is a lady with a big cat obsession
who lives on the ground floor
that watches children
and feeds them strawberries and sugar
and steals bikes as ransom
for babysitting money
There is a gas station on the way here
with a petting zoo in the back
that you look forward to
more than the destination
There is another place
with a library and beach
just far enough
for kids to bike to
to avoid being at home
With dirt mountains to ride on
and drawing on backs
the same pullout couch
and a tv with the nanny and george lopez
There is a yard with two-packs-a-day
and a living room floor
with drunk bodies to step over on your way to get water
A facebook game designated computer
a panda hat for christmas
and a full thanksgiving dinner for three people
who would all rather be somewhere
(with someone)
else
There is another place
with insulation good enough
to keep a home warm in the winter
but failed
to keep fire from spreading
It has a preteens girl’s wall full of magazine clippings
a floor full of mattresses
stained from the discovery of
painting and makeup
And a song on repeat
and drawers left open
to reveal push-up bras and walmart underwear
There is a kitchen
with silkworm moths on the pantry ceiling
lots of ramen noodles and kool-aid
and vodka and popsicles in the freezer
There are walls stained the color of smoke
drawers with burnt out cherry flavored e-cigarettes
and an unfinished downstairs
with cardboard walls
and four beds
that kids gather
to watch movies
and drink their first sips of vodka
that their mother bought them
There is a buffer that exists there
between a person and the truth
and the moments it breaks to reveal
the reality of sickness
(where the seed of resentment is planted)
There is another place
with living room/bedroom hybrids
curtains instead of doors
noisy drunks
too-small-of-a-space
drinks with straws
and ash trays in bathrooms
Where a teenage girl figured out how to stand her ground
and finally leaves a cycle of carrying pain
from house to house
There is a different place
with secure walls
that creak at night
and are covered on the outside with blue siding
that protect a baby girl
from storm and pain alike
With a pool outback
and a basement
encapsulating the life of a good man
and the friends and family who love him
There is a birch tree out front
that acts as a centerpiece of a painting
a playhouse for children
and a motif in poetry
This place holds the history
of a family
torn apart by the nature of love
but brought together by food
and a piano with broken keys
a kitchen gate ruined by dogs
siblings dressing up as each other
iron chef screenings on the floor together
and a ship fort made out of couches
The carpet an ode to the matted dog hair and paws that changed its color
The bunk beds and winnie the pooh wallpaper an ode to the life of two children
who grew up and discovered the reality of suffering
and how the people who are meant to protect you,
don’t always succeed
but I am very grateful
for them
trying
-Sara Moralez
Born and raised in inner city Milwaukee, Sara Moralez (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist currently in her senior year at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. With a focus in poetry, sculpture, and video, Moralez aims to marry these mediums together to highlight stories of the intersecting identities and communities she’s a part of. Drawing inspiration from her Mexican American culture, queerness, gender identity, memory, and femininity—her unique voice shares narratives about the disconnect and confusion that comes with self-definition. Instagram: @sicksnakes.