Five Poems by Ammanda Selethia Moore

 

Antelope Canyon, Arizona

The rocks curve
Like a gentle dance
Each side of the canyon
Moving in unison
The sunlight streaks down
Playfully casting shadows
Like an artist, the sun paints
The rocks red and orange
Dramatically darkening the hue

Memory of Water, Colorado

We biked for miles along the Colorado River

Before stopping in the forest

To eat lunch and refill our water bottles

The guide encouraged us to drink

From the ice blue stream

Flowing over rocks

Down from the mountains

I bent over, cupped my hand,

And gulped the cool clear water

It was so pure and crisp

I returned to drink again and again

My fingers stinging

From the cold

Flight in Lake Shasta, California

Flash of gold talons

Eagle flies dripping water

We stare, eyes wide and teary

Memory of Heat in Manila, Philippines

Our luxury hotel in Manila sheltered us from the tropical weather. My brother and I would test the coolness of the hotel by standing halfway inside and halfway outside the hotel’s sliding glass doors. One half of our bodies were comforted by cold air while the other half was hot and slimy. When we retreated back inside, the heat would follow us in waves until we sat far enough away from the door. On days where we ventured out as a group, the heat would buffet our bodies, climb inside our clothes, and squeeze sweat out of us. Only the juices of fresh fruit and the promise of a swimming pool could lure us outside after we’d adventured in the heat all day. The Philippines, so hot and humid. And yet, I would bear the heat to tour those jungles again.

Nicaraguan Rain Showers

Dark clouds gather over the countryside of Nicaragua. The thick forest goes silent. Then, like a breath being let out, the rain pours down. Vegetation soaks up the water until satiated and the rest runs along dirt pathways, mixing to make mud. The thunder is so pleasant from where I’m seated with a coffee and chocolates. I tuck my feet under myself and curl into the chair, the rain pinging against the tin roof. I look out at the rainforest, the trees with plants growing up them, green against green, and smile as the rain brings fresh, clean air and the heady musk of the forest.

Ammanda Selethia Moore (they/elle) is a non-binary poet and writer who also teaches English at Norco College. They have had dozens of publications in venues such as Synchronized Chaos, Literary Yard, and The Journal of Radical Wonder. They live with their partner in sunny southern California. Follow their exploits @prof.ammanda on Instagram.