Adobo Criollo Sergio Antonio Ortiz Rivera

Look at my mouth full of vitriol, and my throat full of poison hemlock look at the partridge dying in Rimbaud’s thyme desert look at the trees nerves tightened by the light. This is what I see in the smooth April hour, this is what I see in the chapel mirror.

NEW GUIDELINES FOR UNDERTOW TANKA REVIEW 1.      We will only be publishing 5 to 25 tanka, so send the very best. We're going to be very selective. 2.      Please don’t send traditional 31 syllable tanka, they will be rejected. 3.      We are looking for avant-garde, surreal, light-verse tanka poems. 4.      We are also open to haiku, the same amount will be selected for publication, we prefer modern haiku, nothing traditional. 5.      We are open to submissions year round, but will publish poems online three times a year starting May, 2016. Submission Windows From Oct. 15 to Dec. 15 for Jan. issue From Feb. 15 to Apr. 15 for May issue From Jun. 15 to Aug. 15 for Sep. issue ANNOUNCEMENT:  We have a new assistant editor, Rajan Garg  rajangarg.thapar@gmail.com Sergio Ortiz, editor  undertowtanka@gmail.com

Why is there so much life Maybe tonight is not a night, it must be a dreadful sun, or something else, anything. I don’t know.  There’s a lack of words, a lack of candor, a lack of poetry when blood cries and cries. There’s something tearing my skin, a blind fury runs through my veins, Cerberus of my soul. Let me go beyond your smile! I could be so happy tonight! There are lingering dreams, and so many books, and so many lights, and such few years.  Why not? Death is far away. It’s not looking at me. So much life, dear God. Why is there so much life?