Notes from Third Period Trigonometry

Isabella Santoni, United States

before you say no,
just hear me out:
what happens—okay—if
we leave?

if we ditch third, hop the fence, throw it into gear and go?
if we pack my little circus peanut Subie with a couple of Nature Valley bars,
this time, the kids won’t call it fruity

what happens if we press out the wrinkles of the vacuum-sealed landscape,
braid the bases of the mountain into the soda pop peat, flex our fingers
into the ground until they crack and twist and trembling, pull
the valley walls tight over our heads

what happens if we skim fingers over leaf edges, curling
to meet touch, fold my body into yours and race
paper boats in the river, call our laughter
up to the sky as we strip naked and skinny dip in the tickled reeds

what happens if we tumble backwards down hills, land
on each others’ bellies like a bed of tangled hair, if we roll
up the wildflower blooms and take turns sucking drags of nectar,
licking the sticky drips from each other's lips when we realize
shit.
we forgot napkins, huh?

what happens when we go where there are no
strong men or smart men or straw men hanging above or lurking below,
spit dust from between our teeth and grind it beneath our heel, release
our fists gripping fishing line, the only thing keeping us wriggling and alive,
what happens

when we meet quiet waters with the noise of two children who finally realize
they were clean all along.

for today, we will tuck each other in the inside pocket of our notebooks and
blue pen crossing red,
we will feel no shame.

Isabella Santoni (she/they) is an 18-year-old queer and non-binary poet from Phoenix, Arizona currently pursuing a BFA in Acting from the University of Arizona. Just beginning their publication journey, Santoni was named a National YoungArts Finalist in Spoken Word and U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts Semifinalist, with pieces performed nationally and published in the 2021 YoungArts Anthology. Their work also appears in print in The Impressionable Years Hypothesis and recorded at TedxYouth@Ocotillo Road. You can find more of their work in both performance and poetry at isabellasantoni.com.