very much

by
ícaro carvalho 

I like S. very very very much
N. not so much
I find S. very very very beautiful
N. not so much
S. makes my skin very very very warm
N. not so much
S. embraced me many many many times
N. not even once

Then, one day, a man in uniform ordered me to choose one of them.
only one of them
and I chose N.

Artist Statement

This poem stages a juxtaposition between “S.” (the Global South, full of warmth, beauty, and embrace) and “N.” (the Global North, cold and distant). The “man in uniform” is the checkpoint, the border, the colonial presence that interrupts desire and demands a definitive answer. By making the unexpected choice under pressure, the speaker succumbs to the colonial project.

QUOTE AS:
Ícaro Carvalho. very much. The Living Commons Collective Magazine. N.5, July 2026. p. 45-47