Individually
You did not impress me
Much /but when
You all were together/rearranged
For meaning/the way you touch
Inspire/even wound
Your beauty and your power/Took/Take/My/ Breath
Away
— McKenya Dilworth-Abdalla
Realizations
I am a contradiction
of desires, Gemini, twins
going in opposite directions
equally good at being bad
cowardly approaching
the conditions that
Confront me.
*
the edges of my hair have gone on strike
tired of the pulling, the weave glue, braiding
and all other attempts at camouflaging myself
my chest is strangely conspiring with age and starting
to descend/I am young/no longer
it was overrated anyway
now I feel the
pressure more than ever to make
something out of myself/this nine to five
the trading of talent for coins
ideas for dollars
dreams deferred
*
— McKenya Dilworth-Abdalla