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.