SARDINES.

Sao Miguel, Portugal

We pulled off a dirt road following our sixth sense  

To the the Gray Sea

Tessa strummed imperfect notes on her Eukalale,

fading fast

 as we ran down the labyrinth stone staircase

to meet the water face to face.

the waves shook  

the shore, 

Also shaking the five barrels of emotions 

we each hid in the holsters at our hips.

Sea salt tears,

 a can of sardines, a brick of brie  & a shoe 

 to open a corner store bottle

 of red we had thrown our coins together for.

I

we  fell into conversation,

the same way the rocks had fallen from the hepatic covered cliffs above us

to the seats beneath us

Sharing in growth with the moss 

&

crack creatures

at our feet.

Tessa's Birthday 

LAKE OF FIRE.

Azores, Sao Miguel, Portugal

the queens and I soaked our pale bodies for hours in hot sulfur springs at the base of three active volcanoes.

--

 The archaic village of Furnas, possesed a history of algerian pirate attacks, notorious for stealing rams before returning to the Barbary coast they came from..

Identifying as a Ram myself,

I felt oddly at peace surrounded by fire & the idea of past mutiny. 

As dusk drew near, 

we took the only road leading home along Lagoa Das Furnas 

"LAKE OF FIRE" 

The five of us attempted to scale the wall to the chapel, My own personal attempt leading to bleeding palms n' broken nails. 

The structure was built on a promise to God. A wealthy man that lived on the island oathed that if God would heal his ill wife, he would build a treasure to thank him by the name of "Nossa Senhora dos Victorias" ...meaning Lady of Victories. 

However, death without regret will soon take us.

leaving the corpse of the man & his wife asleep forever inside the gothic walls.