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Carleigh Takemoto

Love Poem

I want to tattoo all the names 
of the Japanese demons 
on my body to mark 
the places they reside, 
comfortably. My love
is as dangerous and more 
fierce than a house set on fire,
where everything you’ve ever
cherished becomes ash. 
To me, love is tucking away
a propensity for arson.
Someone told me once
that the Latin translation
of mortgage is death contract
and I am not sure why we use
the word when speaking
of real estate and not of love,
but love can be like this,
a promise you make with me,
to hold my hand even
when the house catches fire.

Carleigh Takemoto is from Fresno, California and is working on her MFA at CSU Fresno.

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