To the tiger (for aaron)

Oswaldo Vargas

I got far in the pilgrimage
toward the equator 
that browned you.

The next one will finish it
and pose for pictures.

He too will count the keloids 
on your back, big and small, 
like blessings. 

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Oswaldo Vargas is a former farmworker, a graduate from the University of California, Davis and a 2021 Undocupoets Fellow. Anthology features include Nepantla: An Anthology Dedicated to Queer Poets of Color and Puro Chicanx Writers of the 21st Century. His work can also be seen in The Louisville Review, Queen Mob’s Teahouse, Huizache, West Trade Review, Narrative (upcoming) and the Green Mountains Review tribute issue to former U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera (among others). He lives and dreams in Sacramento, California.