Diannely Antigua
Diary Entry #2: Quarantine Sonnet

Every once in a while, especially at night,

in the time it takes to mourn deaths and letters, if I’m dreaming

of the theater or the Egyptian exhibit at the MET.

If I’m dressed in a sweater. If I’m tempted

to kiss the green on the side of the road.

 

Every once in a while, especially after flushing

the toilet, in the time it takes to make a lover

of the neighbor’s door, in the time it takes a little leaven

to leaven the whole lump, if the breeze can’t keep

a secret—at the lake, at the grocery store, at the church.

That’s when I watch from my window, America

riding a tricycle of ruin. And the schools

spill out her mouth. And the library

is closed. And the clouds are closed. 

 
Found In Volume 49, No. 06
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Diannely Antigua
About the Author

Diannely Antigua is a Dominican American poet and educator, born and raised in Massachusetts. Her debut collection, Ugly Music (YesYes Books, 2019), was the winner of the Pamet River Prize and a 2020 Whiting Award. She received her MFA at NYU, where she was awarded a Global Research Initiative Fellowship to Florence, Italy.