Francisco Márquez is a Venezuelan poet and a finalist in Narrative’s 2017 30 Below Contest. He earned a BA in English at Florida State University and an MFA from New York University, where he was a Goldwater fellow. He lives in Brooklyn.

Virility Ode

by Francisco Márquez

I remember on the playground speaking to Allison
Who asked me if I wanted to be a girl

I had peed myself too many times in the presence of men
Like a dog on the orchids my grandfather planted


It’s not easy getting through never hating
In the way one tries to never try hard drugs


Alas one tries hard drugs
One hates like a land stolen
People on couch
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