the poetic greats whisper to me “Young women, live lives of freedom now Wait not for the liberation of gray hairs, and saggy skin, Be free now in your youth” The eyes of the greats bear down on my blank pages Daring my pen to dance the flamenco, tango break out from its measured two-step… Continue reading grown woman self love
Category: Poetry
Healing Through Poetry
Anyone can be a poet. Yes, you read that correctly. ANYONE can be a poet. In fact, poetry is something we were all born with. From the womb, our bodies were being created by poetry. Not with words but with sounds, vibrations, light—and lack thereof—binding energy, love, pain… everything that is needed for a great… Continue reading Healing Through Poetry
once i’ve seen
I see them consuming our pain Bite after bite, like it’s an appetizing kernel of the popcorn in their hands Taking in the stories of our youth, our desperation, our devastation of opportunity Like they’re candy I’m sitting here, thinking to myself, These are the stories of poverty, of pain, The stories that can become… Continue reading once i’ve seen
Oh, I’m Fine (Dammit!)
“Where have I been?” I used to wonder. Was it a rock or someone’s spell that I been under. Don’t wanna knock my people, but we closed as doors. And the stench up in this bitch we simply can’t ignore. No more! I’m no ostrich, though I been ostracized — kept out, curb-kicked, marginalized. But… Continue reading Oh, I’m Fine (Dammit!)
Semblance of My Enemy
Isolated in the borders of our enemies Fought so long for them to see that they are kin to me Castrated by their thrones Emancipated but alone A simple love left floating on an empty sea Infatuated with ideals of eternity Shed my wings as I fly to the sun to see Masked and traded… Continue reading Semblance of My Enemy
My Brother: A Boy Misunderstood (Poem)
A couple of years ago, my little brother stormed out of the house. Before I could catch him, the police were called by a lady who said he tried to kill himself. They took him; handcuffed his hands super tight so that his skin wouldn’t bite the cuffs off. Pain opened his mouth so wide;… Continue reading My Brother: A Boy Misunderstood (Poem)
Papa Was a Rolling Stone
P apa is rolling stone Piece of sediment covered with dirt rain soot fractures my mother’s tears Praise its speed Praise its swiftness Praise the mineral that was never concrete A tribal stone that rolled its way from Africa and cotton field Praise the stone that broke too many glass houses glass women This Rolling… Continue reading Papa Was a Rolling Stone
greatness (a poem)
Imagine if we all decided to be great If we decided our heritage was heroism Our lineage was leadership Our inheritance was ingenuity Our purpose was power Our call was courageousness What if we chose to believe that shining our light was never optional That our destinies were required reading for ourselves our haters ourselves… Continue reading greatness (a poem)
graveyard shift. (a poem)
My superstitions are unable to last ‘cause I can’t hold my breath any longer. There is no quickened pace, there is no passing by. I’m interred in a cemetery of brown hashtags. I’ve been shoved into a reeking sepulcher. The rot of piles upon piles of strange fruit seeps into my pores. Above me circle… Continue reading graveyard shift. (a poem)
57 is like…
57 is like… Last winter daddy was dying. This winter Colette is on the verge We wait to greet her God willing. I worry about judgment I need to be chill Maybe I’m January And Jinghuan’s May Unintentional as Oedipus, I thought she was a pretty prosthelytizer She thought I was sweaty, heavy and younger… Continue reading 57 is like…