ALEXA VALLEJO

Top Down

On a layover in Dallas, I bottle
my newlywed joy and pretend
Jess and I are nothing more
than friends. Sluggish and
travel-weary, we eat fish and
chips in the airport terminal,
mindful of the people around
us. But I let my guard down in
Palm Springs, where the rental
car clerk sees our rings and
offers us a convertible for no
extra charge. We thank him
but stick with the Nissan Rogue.
Outside it’s dark, and the wind
won’t quit. We kiss at a stoplight
while coyotes sprint across
the highway. Deeper into the desert,
I roll down the windows and think
about that convertible, how we
could have Thelma and Louise’d
our way to Joshua Tree. But that’s
not quite the honeymoon vibe.
Who would choose an outlaw love?
Give me a science fiction where
everyone is gay and no one is afraid.

Alexa Vallejo is a transfemme, Filipina-American writer and musician living in West Philadelphia. Her work has most recently been published in Black Fox Literary Magazine, swamp pink, and TriQuarterly.