i was given a baby boar

to take care of and love.

he was sent to me sore,

in a box. worn torn and

perilous, the box looked

like it was about to break,

and the boar, the ache,

oh it looked just the same.

i carried this boar in the

box for miles, crossing through

states lines and boundaries;

thinking to myself I want this boar to live somewhere free, unbidden

when i

finally opened

the cardboard;

box nothing

was left

opened but

a hole

Jessica Jimenez-Arroyo

A chronically friendly poet, Jessica Jimenez-Arroyo (she/her/it/its) is a German/Spanish major with a Creative Writing minor at Western Washington University. She is usually affixed to her balcony overlooking downtown Bellingham. That, or in a garden, book store, or art market. It’s work explores the spaces created by being Mexican American, queer, and born to the Pacific Northwest. With nature being an ever present backdrop, she explores themes of identity, acceptance, and community in her poems. You can find it on instagram as softreflection.