Safe Love Quotes

“...those are the boys I switch my hips at.

Not because they're cute or interesting---
they're often obnoxious & only want a taste
of my gutter-slick tongue & brownness;

they act as if they could elevate my life with a
taste of their powder-milk-tinged pomp.
No, I date those boys because they are safe.

They can't dance bachata or sing Juan Luis Guerra,
can't recite Salomé Ureńa or even name the forefathers;
they wrap their flag around their shoulders like a safety blanket,

& if a heart has topography,
I know none of those boys know the coordinates
to navigate & survive mine's rough terrain.

In other words, these boys would be no distraction.”
― Elizabeth Acevedo, Clap When You Land