- Jan Avellana
When the Boogeyman Looms

i come to the sea
when the boogeyman looms
when he threatens to gulp me up,
or drown me in his sticky drool,
and chew and spit out all the not-good-parts of me,
sucking my bones clean,
like buffalo wings.
i come to the sea because
it is bigger than him,
it's roar louder,
and mostly
because i found out
that he can't swim.
-j. a. hongo, november 2020