The first spell I learned Was when my friend pointed at a digital clock and said, "Eleven eleven. Make a wish." 11:11 One one one one In every half second My heart prays eleven times eleven times That you were still alive I don't wish that you would come back Because every story that told... Continue Reading →
Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this sun of York Words that play On the cassette player of my childhood memories. Chilly Autumn evenings waiting In the mini-van For my dad to pick up the pizza. Me, my brother, And my mom, before cell phones detached us all from each... Continue Reading →
I remember sitting on your bed in your dorm room- It was a single, just one of many signs that you were often lucky in circumstance- Listening to you talk about the guy you had a crush on, who was white, But you thought it could work, even though your parents were conservative and African.... Continue Reading →
To make an old fashioned cocktail,Preferably with rye, You take a small glass tumbler, Put a cube of sugar on the bottom, Pour bitters over the sugar, Then muddle. Put in an ice cube, Then pour the whiskey on top. Garnish with a rind of citrus. This is an old fashioned love poem. Old fashioned... Continue Reading →
Do you ever feel like some feelings Come from different moments in time But feel the same way Like how watching a pretty girl curl her hair with a flat iron in a TikTok tutorial Feels like when you were 18 dancing in a club with pretty lights And you had X’s on your hands?... Continue Reading →
I said a prayer in the shower. I covered my face with both of my hands and let the water fall on my hair. An evening baptismal In the same place I have ached and cried Since I was much smaller. My childhood home. I dried off. I lit four candles One for opportunity One... Continue Reading →
In less than 2 hours I’m on another planet, Where mermaids walk on land And sugar is salty and sour, Where witches bask in the moonlight And offer you a taste of their homemade cigarettes, As they stare out into the middle of nothing Wishing their black hair would turn gray Like the ash that... Continue Reading →
Trigger Warning: self harm, depression, animal violence Once upon a time there was a girl, who watched the same sad movies over and over again, because she had already decided slitting her wrists was too messy and impractical. She didn’t like to listen to music, because pretty lyrics made her cry. And she cried... Continue Reading →
Feeling loss Is a natural release. It is sorrow that flows effortlessly. To lose people who were never really your friends, Is like exfoliating dead skin; There’s still a little trauma Where the new flesh is slightly red and tender From it happening so suddenly and a bit roughly and all at once. My world... Continue Reading →
I think about you, sweet brown baby. Your mother could have been one of my students. You are both cold and the ground is hard. A toothbrush would not have been too much. When you cough, Does your mother’s hand soothe your back, Or is it too stiff from aching with weariness? A pillow would... Continue Reading →
Sankofa Virgo 