Raul Alvarez

from The Devil: A Guidebook

last night
I was startled
awake by the devil
sitting on my chest

he handed me a note
which said I like you more than just friends

I told him we could talk about it in the morning

his breathing
softened

like meat
in teeth

he watched me
until sunrise

patient
and small

at the foot of my bed

from The Devil: A Guidebook

during our first kiss
my friend and I were so pretty

the devil stitched
us together

put us
in a frame

we learned
to talk

through threaded lips

into each other’s throat

Raul Alvarez holds an MFA from Columbia College Chicago. His recent poetry can be found in PANK, Court Green, and the Black Tongue Review. He is a book reviewer for NewCity Chicago and The Los Angeles Review, and maintains a blog at raulrafaelalvarez.com.