Gays at the Bodega
by María José

"2 dutches and some red
sour straws," she puts 5 down. (Door chimes)
Eyes meet, lips curve. Backs arch.

"Hi," she walks in with red
cherry lips and black eyeliner.
"I'm Moon," her red smile killed.

"I love your name. I'm Luz."
"Luz, are you gonna invite me?"
“Yes, let's smoke on my stoop,"

Luz says, Moon grabs her arm.
"That wasn't an invitation.
(Squeeze). Don't you have manners?"

Luz's eyebrows pop. Moon
stares. "Try again, mami," Moon puts
glass beer on the counter.

"Will you come smoke with me?"
"No 'please'?" Moon pays. Luz grabs the beer,
"Will you bring that ass, please?"

"That fat ass," Moon twinkles.
"Girl, let's go," Luz walks, laughs. (Door chimes).
"It's a full moon tonight,"

Luz points up. "Don't be scared
if I transform you into a
beast," Moon flicks Luz's hair.

"How did you get your name?"
"My mother. Her name is Luna,"
"Beautiful. You live here?"

Moon and Luz bend and sit.
The stoop steps are smooth. "Yeah, I live
2 avenues over."

"I've never seen you at
the bodega before—you new?"
Moon sparks a hidden blunt.

"I met up with some friends for
brunch. I don’t live too far from here,”
Luz says. Moon inhales herb.

She exhales grey swirls, "Luz,
I saw your amethyst and knew
you were probably gay,"

Moon laughs, passing the herb.
Luz touches her purple crystal,
resting on her cleavage.

"Good guess," Luz inhales deep,
" Warm night on my warm lips on my
warm blunt." The smoke fills her.

Moon’s eyebrows and lips curve:
"I love poetry. Keep going."
Luz pulls deep, exhales, says:

"Warm night on my warm lips
on Moon’s warm blunt and I’m
taking a full moon bath—"

Luz pauses and guides Moon’s
fingertips to the bewitching
stone plunging down her chest.

Moon can feel Luz’s moist
skin as she traces the lanyard
south, following Luz to

the Aquarius
Crystal. Eyes meet. Luz continues:
" —bathing in the moon,

naked in purple
water, lavender swirls, warm
splashes and bubbles,

bathing til you come
out skin raisined sweet and brown."
Luz ends her poem, and

Moon tightens her hand,
around Luz’s crystal and pulls
hard, Luz jerks forward and

is ready for Moon’s kiss.
They kiss and kiss and kiss and kiss
Lips, tongues, necks, hands, breaths.

Moon pauses to inhale
some blessed herb and catches the
full moon. " I’m full tonight,

I can already feel
my powers growing. Can you, Luz?"
" Yeah, I can. Pretty soon

you’ll transform me into
a beast, right? So, how does that work?"
Luz asks her and Moon grins:

" First, you'll shed your skin
It will stretch, break and you’ll howl,
grow sharp claws and teeth

for eating, flesh and you
can’t stop til the moon tells you,
til she’s crescent, new."

Luz leans in and bites Moon’s
lower lip, soft then hard: "Am I
going to howl now, Moon?"

" Yes, at me. Let's try it
right now. This is how it happens…"
Moon exhales smoke, blowing

slowly into Luz’s
open mouth. A tunnel of breath,
saliva, smoke pushing

connecting them like a
string, their eyes locked and deep in a
hazy spell. Before the tunnel

disappears into the
humid summer night, Luz leans in
and kisses Moon’s blood lips,

grey smoke rolling around
their brown bodies, their velvety
tongues in wet communion.

The two kiss for so
long, chanting names: "Luz, Luz...Luuuuz"
like a conjuring.

"Moooon...Moon, Moon..." like a
ritual, blunts as candles
spit as ofrendas.

"You feel me transforming?"
Luz asks, sinking her nails into
Moon’s back, scratching her itch.

"Yes, but let me help you
speed it up," Moon rips Luz’s shirt
with both her hands, the tear

of the cotton fabric
sounds like a cat sharpening her
claws, ripping at your seams.

Luz, Moon. Their touch coursing
new planets, whole solar systems

orbiting around
brown taut nipples and brown eyes.
"Do you want to go in-

side, my home is down this
street," Moon asks. Luz nods: "Yes, take me
there." Hand in hand, they leave,

walk past the bodega
to a building with a tree in
front. A key twist opens

a red door. They lock it
shut. Enter a room with cream walls.
"Put this on," something drops.

"What’s in the black bag?"
"It’s for our ritual," she says,
"Here, open it and see."

A rope tied in a neat
bow keeps the bag closed. She tugs the
knot. Looks inside. And howls.