One of our in-class poetry prompts was to take a translated poem and translate it in our own way. I chose Salma Khadra Jayyusi’s A Tale. I have no father-in-lawI’m sure he existsHe sleeps, fucks my mother-in-law(Hopefully she’s a nice lady and will treat me well)He showers, and is a good Christian. A good Christian…
You buy clothes you never wearTo impress people who don’t careYou can’t speak in front of crowdsYou should get your head checkedYou have blisters on your heelsFrom shoes that refuse to be broken inYou wear makeup to even out your tanCertainly not to impress a manYour mirror reflection of selfDoesn’t match the one insideYou sing…
“We need to talk,” she said, the most feared phrase in the English language invaded his ears. She took him by the hand into a quiet corner of the arena’s backstage area and waited for her to speak. She seemed resolute in her words, but her hands told him the truth. She was nervous, and…
Poems gush out my fingertipsWritten carefully in bloodTattooed on my skinThe original sinSapphire blueCrimson redFetch me a napkinSharpen the quillPumice the momentsLovely bops of clarity’Cause nothing elsein this damn worldmakes a lick of sense.
“So are we going to storage today, Ma?” Mary said, gulping down her orange juice. “Yeah. There are a few things your Grandma Lucy’s been after me to let her have that used to belong to Daddy,” Marcy added. “I might get rid of the whole unit.” “What are you gonna do with all the…
Pink colored chlorophyllSunshine blue markerConcrete easelAnother one Eurydice walkaboutUnder the jazz promenadeBeatrice says helloMeasure for measure A forest lies honestlyMirrors seek wrinklesPresidential silenceElephantine stretch
She instinctively reached out for him, her ranger. Behind her closed eyes, she realized he was not there. The room was dark but she could see the lights from the street below filling the room. The clock on the wall stated that it was 5:43 AM. Max – senior-aged at this point but forever a…
The stars in the skiesDripped into your eyesLike the beautiful onesHold you when you’re done. I’m in this for loveNot procreationFallen angels, righteous sinsRaptured in misdirection. Baby it’s youIt’s always been youFrom the moment I breathedYou in like a fogTrip me in the darkAnd into your arms. And another onePound me like a drumBrush the…
twenty four hours in a daytwenty four years since riots serenaded the streets of L.A.that powder keg of corruptionsafety of unreality violatedblue and red combinedmade purple, unitedagainst the tyrannyof the 5-0 we lived six hours awayworking class neighborhoodsouthside ModestoI can see your face cringeall the way over herewhen I tell people where I lived. never…
“I didn’t realize the weather would be quite this oppressive, darling,” the well-dressed lady said to the man beside her in the carriage. She waved a gloved hand in front of her face, trying to excite the dull air into breathable oxygen. “I think I left my fan in my trunk. Oh goodness, it’s positively…