The last time I saw you
we were laid out
on the hot evening sand
of Hollywood Beach
as we had all summer,
a book lying in the space
between our bodies,
a strip of sand
and crushed seashells
that had steadily grown
wider and wider, unnoticed
as the season waned.
That day I read to you
from Salinger’s Nine Stories
the tale of Seymour’s final
trip to a Florida beach
and you didn’t say anything,
your face blank
in the dying sunlight,
your eyes searching
through the glass
of beach-side hotel windows,
your ears perked for the sound
of a muffled gunshot.
***
Ariel Francisco was born in the Bronx, New York, though he’s lived in Florida for most of his life. He graduated from Florida International University in Miami with a B.A. in English Lit and a Certificate in Film Studies. He’s also studied creative writing at the New York State Summer Writers Institute at Skidmore College and film at Charles University in Prague. He currently resides in Miami, Florida.
Sliver of Stone Magazine 
Ayo good work out der lil cuz. Keep doin yo thang, and ima keep dem TD’s comin yung blood. Finley out.