Category: Archives
Burning Books, Burying Scholars
i. The Warring States I unified the warring states for you Old classics, Confucius teachings burnt Wisdom buried – scholar by scholar Insurgency cut – tongue by tongue One Emperor, one wall is all you see ii. The Red Little Book I swam across the Yangtze for you Old ideas, Read more
One Night You Grew Silent
You said you wanted me when you turned to face the lamppost. The snowflakes caught your eyelashes on the last languid Christmas. Your fingertips braided my hair. Your chilled lips smoothed my legs. Your breath in hot clouds warmed my skin. Maybe I love you a little. I stand in line at Read more
don’t you dare (pop), boy
did someone burst your bubble, boy? or did you just have too much to drink? get your lies drunk and high as you? coat them in effervescence until your lungs fly you away? you were always ready, boy, ready to pop. and you know you’ll never get it back, get Read more
For the Man Harassing Women Outside an Abortion Clinic during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Pleasant it is to risk all for one’s faith To stand joyfully in pathogenic rain To Typhoid Mary the sinning world And know that God will wink. Pleasant it is to proclaim one’s faith To thrust words into the bodies of others To look upon one’s bloody fists And know Read more
It’s True/ Untrue/ Partial Truth
You’re brown, I’d say, but some say black, or African-American. I don’t know what to say. When Girl drew a picture in class, and brought it home, and showed you: curly hair, purple skin, you, depicted. When you said, “What color is my skin?” She said, “You black.” You said, Read more
Black Women’s Acts of Resistance and Resilience to Trauma
Dineen skillfully dug her purple latex-swathed fingers into my bare left shoulder blade, and I yelped, “O-o-o-uch!” “Sor-ry!” Dineen cheerfully apologized. If I didn’t know better, I would think that she enjoyed torturing me. But this wasn’t that kind of relationship. Dineen is a petite, dark-haired, twenty-something Filipina physical therapist Read more
