Passerby

On the handsome block
with Greyston, Bungalow, & Cottage homes
past rows of blackened palisades
when the Boy on the balcony—in diaper
& a red & yellow striped shirt—latches onto My eyes.

Caught in a mutual gaze, a moment suspended
He stops his playing, stepping back from the railing,
His eyes curiously wide, searching for what I am.

I smile and wave, warm with the connection,
wanting to bridge the space
between Us, to show him I’m not strange,
but a friendly face He can welcome
past the border of His wonder.

In that instant, I’m no longer just a spectator
I’m something out of Our shared astonishment
We can play with.


Dom Blanco is a Latinx poet originally from Miami, FL, now based in Chicago, IL. He holds a BA in Philosophy from DePaul University and an MFA from Randolph College. His poems are forthcoming/featured in MĀNOA Journal (Architectures of FuturoPasados Issue guest-edited by Anthony Cody), Rise Up Review, The Brooklyn Review, Rappahannock Review, Inverted Syntax, Hole in the Head Review, Stone Poetry Quarterly, and more. His unpublished manuscript, Inside The Infrastructure, was a semi-finalist for the 2024 OSU Press/The Journal Wheeler Prize for Poetry, an honorable mention for the 2024 Homebound Poetry Prize, longlisted for the 2025 Glass Chapbook Series, and recognized with affirmation and encouragement from Frontier Poetry for the 2024 Debut Chapbook Prize. He is the recipient of generous support from the Nancy Craig Blackburn Program.