'Old Soul Romantics Don't Go To Disneyland Alone': A Poem by Taylor Gianfrancisco

OLD SOUL ROMANTICS DON'T GO TO DISNEYLAND ALONE
Instead, they go to small South American towns that don’t exist
on maps. Their hemlines long and skimming the tall grass.
The cathedrals and the peak of Cotopaxi looming over them as they travel
to the mountain springs, encouraging themselves to swim in the water
and find the fabled monsters that were once single women.
They dye their hair crimson red, hide tattoos on their fair shoulders
because they are ashamed of how the ink has turned green.
How the verdant eyes of their abuelitas would look at them
if they knew about it and how many men they’ve been with
before swearing celibacy and trying on adventure instead.
They find silence in the springs and sleep with it every night
while their young husbands dance with other women, laugh at bad jokes,
and lead conversations about art, politics, and medicine.
They stare at the sun setting over the valley, painting
the old white walls in a rainbow of passion, and wonder
if snow looks different in other places around the world.
Taylor Gianfrancisco is an aspiring writer/poet who lives in Orlando, Florida. She works as an editorial assistant at the literary magazines, JuxtaProse and Helen. Follow her eccentricities and adventures on Twitter at @shefruits and on Instagram at @tayleurmarie.