June 16, 2021
It’s late at night Where we both Reject bed time Like summer rejects snowflakes You don’t like sleep Bedtime becomes civil war Between your yawns And will to never be caught napping on anything You are the age of Impressionable And imaginary friends Where anything is possible Through laughter And fairy dust […]
May 20, 2021
You are used to caring But not being cared for When he opens his heart to you and your daughter You can let him love you You are two times worthy Having an offspring means he needs a soul for you both He can carry more than his own heartbeat Loving you […]
April 28, 2021
I asked the first African American poet laureate of Prince William County, Virginia Kim B. Miller to describe what Black joy looks like to her in a series of haikus. Here is what she came up with: Beauty You were looking for someone beautiful. I just showed you your mirror. Colors Red, black and […]
April 21, 2021
I asked 15 poets to describe what Black joy means to them in one haiku. This is what they came up with: My hair is not rough. It just dances a little different than yours does Joezzy @_joezyy Minor miracles Warm body waiting at home Long texts, working breath Kez @kezzyjo_ Time passes slowly never […]
January 13, 2021
To cheer up my girlfriend, I wrote her 80 haikus (17 syllable Japanese poems) expressing why I love her. Here are 13 of them: Bad relationship We both were a part of those Chose to be better I thought I couldn’t loveYour presence says otherwise Keep proving me wrong I had an ice box Your devotion warmed […]
January 13, 2021
One My girlfriend introduces me to her daughter Daughter bites me. Two Her daughter glares at me as if to say, “I don’t care who you are,” Shouts “Mama,” Crawls to her mom. I understand the peace in her arms too. Three We eat Chipotle. Only ordered it once, Yet she remembers my […]
December 27, 2020
You don’t play with your fruit snacks I have mental scars to prove it When your mom told you fruit snacks were “all done” Halfway into our drive to the beach The fighter in you came out When from the back seat You saw me pull out another Welch’s Staring Like […]
November 28, 2020
When you say “I love you Quille” I feel my heart tingle As my mouth refuses to open Your mom laughs As if she can see the discomfort Seeping through my pores We were talking about nothing Driving to the grocery store AC blasting When you blurted those words It’s standard To […]
October 10, 2020
We said we wanted to be in love But couldn’t take our baggage Out of broken relationships… She was a black artist Just like me Traveled Experienced different cultures But never felt like she fit in Like me Our definition of love was identical It started with ourselves We had love independently Not […]
August 15, 2020
Let me say what I should have said before I want to tell you that I love you But I don’t know what that means I make fun of myself because I want to keep you happy That’s my idea of being vulnerable I never learned how to say I’m afraid of being hurt […]
