Table 12

“You give them money

They eat dirt”

My grandma says

As she downs her fourth tequila shot

I argue with my brother

About the Columbian Exchange

I call it genocide

He calls it natural selection

College made him dumb

Thinks he knows the world because he read about it in a

book

I’m learning about the election from across the table

A Catholic woman argues

Her religious right

As she sips red wine

Taking the half of the host that gets her drunk

They dance

White wedding dress across hardwood floors

Like fall leaves blown around by winter wind

Trees bowing at their beauty

The couple laughs and smiles and cries and hugs and

kisses

Frozen in their perfect night

Before they have to return to how the world actually is

I can’t remember

If I ever heard wedding bells ring

Nathan Romo is a freshman at USC from San Antonio, Texas. He likes to spend his time listening folk and bluegrass music, hanging out with friends, reading Toni Morrison novels, and writing, of course. He is a Creative Writing major with a minor in Greek Classics. He hopes one day to write for The New Yorker or be a brewmaster. He has yet to decide. You can find his music on Soundcloud and follow him on Instagram.