mouth graffiti by Richard Cortez
i want you to kiss me.
i want to split the paper-thin skin of this plum.
wet, sweet nectar.
your open mouth of roses.
your bottom lip.
your tongue.
i want so much to say it –
to tell you that behind my teeth is my heart.
your name.
here, carved into the roof of my mouth from spelling it out with the tip of my tongue a million times.
mouth graffiti.
initials carved into a tree.
forbidden messages of love.
i want you to kiss me.
Find Ricahard on Instagram at: @richardcortez
Author Bio: summer sale peaches is the first literary effort made by longtime singer-songwriter, richard cortez. the 22 poems, varying in size from two lines to two pages, are accompanied by the macabre and haunting illustrations of brooklyn artist kevin william reed, warm and dream-like portraiture of richard taken by photographer cole witter, and a blackened copper bookmark handcrafted by sculptor sam waxman.
without the intention of writing a book, cortez wrote the whole of summer sale peaches in a matter of months, mostly on his phone, in transit. raw and transparent, the excruciating echo of richard’s violent and sexualized childhood rinses through these lines like blood in water. with themes of abandonment, child abuse, and heartbreak paired with new york city-specific imagery, summer sale peaches gives voice to what it feels like to be alone in a city of 8 million people.
Purchase a Digital Copy of Summer Sale Peaches: https://wollenbergrecords.com/store/ssp-download/
Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/artist/27FtT4y02kcCWVanuvSqgt?si=tERS4LHqQxGGacNWyraV6g
