I. Went to get them flowers from the same shop I first went to at age 20. It was closed. Where flowers once bloomed a new seed has taken root; green and red and metallic. Across the way were buckets, withered roses and too much plastic set against a gate. This was my third visit […]
I tucked in my wayward knees, giving room to the women dashing up and down the corridor leading to and from the cooking area. A line of seesawing washcloths grazed the back of my neck and I ducked down my head too. Cradling my useless body to myself, I sat on a bench next to […]
Last month when the world was saddened by the death of Gill Scott-Heron I was unmoved. His name was unfamiliar. I thought he was just another American artist who, though obviously much loved, was only relevant to Americans. In hindsight, I realize that he played a pivotal role in developing spoken word poetry and social […]
The sun falls out of the sky when I think of you. Butterflies; a chorus of mocking crows. Blood flees from my heart and I die a little. When I speak of you my tongue twists into a dirge teeth; an army of knives laughter starts to bitter. See how you’ve made me a glutton […]
Tap water slides off my face and if all water finds the sea then fish swim in my tears. The tree is heavy with fruit. Yet blandness stains the tongue for it is too early in the season. Invisible buses ferry dust and leaves without anchors past my window. I wonder if sometimes they snatch […]