p1A rickety door, a back one or side, not stableBy Justin Danzy No wrought iron bars like the door at my Aunt Cherry’s house on the East Side, her husband Ben always...RelationshipsFamily & Ancestors
p1Spring Comes EarlyBy Joan Kwon Glass I get good at pretending that I don’t blame you for his death, and this is all it takes to keep you...LivingDeathRelationshipsFamily & Ancestors
p1All of Life Is Willy Wonka & the Chocolate FactoryBy Justin Danzywhich Timbaland claims inspired Aaliyah’s“Are You That Somebody,” a great song, yes,you must agree, ...RelationshipsFamily & Ancestors
25 days after I am bornBy Remica Bingham-Rishera man is killed in Mobile, Alabama. It is 1981, nearest what some will call the last lynching in America...Social CommentariesRace & EthnicityHistory & PoliticsLivingDeathRelationshipsFamily & AncestorsAnxiety & InsecurityGratitude + 2 more
I am trying to carve out a world where people are not the sum total of their disasterBy Remica Bingham-RisherBut for the grace of Godone might begin andthis must be the life of a woman. I will barely touch the...Social CommentariesGender & SexualityTown & Country LifeLivingLife ChoicesThe MindMemory & NostalgiaRelationshipsFamily & Ancestors + 2 more
On Leaping over the MoonBy Thomas TraherneI saw new Worlds beneath the Water ly,New Peeple; yea, another SkyAnd Sun, which seen by DayMight things...NatureStars, Planets, HeavensReligionGod & the DivineRelationshipsFamily & AncestorsJoy & ContentmentOptimism
Cyrus & the SnakesBy Ada LimónMy brother holds a snake by its head. The whole length of the snake is the length of my brother’s body...NatureAnimalsLivingComing of AgeLife ChoicesYouthThe MindMemory & NostalgiaRelationshipsFamily & AncestorsStanza FormsCoupletMetersFree VerseTechniquesImageryMetaphor + 10 more
Calling Things What They AreBy Ada LimónI pass the feeder and yell, Grackle party! And then an hour later I yell, Mourning dove afterparty! (I call the feeder the...LoveHeartache & LossRomantic LoveNatureAnimalsLivingComing of AgeMidlifeThe MindMemory & NostalgiaTime & BrevityRelationshipsMen & WomenMetersFree VerseTechniquesConfessionalImageryMetaphorSimileTypes/ModesProse PoemJoy & Contentment + 16 more
GratitudeBy Cornelius EadyI’m here to tell you an old story. ThisAppears to be my work. I live in the world,Walk the streets of...Social CommentariesClassRace & EthnicityLivingLife ChoicesThe MindRelationshipsFamily & AncestorsActivitiesSchool & LearningArts & SciencesPoetry & PoetsMetersFree VerseTechniquesAnaphoraConfessionalMetaphorAngerGratitude + 13 more
I’m a Fool to Love YouBy Cornelius EadySome folks will tell you the blues is a woman,Some type of supernatural creature.My mother would tell...LoveBreak-ups & Vexed LoveRealistic & ComplicatedSocial CommentariesGender & SexualityRace & EthnicityLivingMarriage & CompanionshipRelationshipsFamily & AncestorsMen & WomenArts & SciencesMusicMetersFree VerseTechniquesImageryMetaphor + 11 more
On Seeing and Being SeenBy Ama CodjoeI don’t like being photographed. When we kissed at a wedding, the night grew long and luminous. You ...LoveDesire & PassionRomantic LoveLivingMarriage & CompanionshipRelationships
A StoryBy Li-Young LeeSad is the man who is asked for a story and can’t come up with one. His five-year-old son waits in his...LivingGrowing OldParenthoodRelationshipsFamily & AncestorsDisappointment
MeanwhileBy Richard Siken Driving, dogs barking, how you get used to it, how you make the new streets yours.Trees outside the...LivingMarriage & CompanionshipMidlifeRelationshipsHome Life
p1Leandra MichaelsBy Brandon YoungMy father said to me once your only choices are the factories. Oil stains or the selfsame bruises. No...Social CommentariesGender & SexualityRelationshipsLGBTQ+
p1Kimberley JohnsonBy Brandon YoungOh, don’t worry, we will let our hair down tonight— but first we must remember on this stage, the queen...Social CommentariesGender & SexualityRelationshipsLGBTQ+
p1How I learned to hold grief at such a young ageBy Kinsale DrakeBecause my mama lost her daddy when she was too young And she didn’t know how to hold her grief so she...RelationshipsFamily & AncestorsGrief
p1For my love at the time of our ceremonyBy Alexis De VeauxI pray for us as evening glides over implore the gods pray for us pray for this breathing planet the...LoveClassic LoveRomantic LoveRelationshipsLGBTQ+Weddings
p1UntitledBy Rosamond S. KingGranny, woman I’ve slept with the most her curves ungirdled, everything—hair , flesh, breath of hers...RelationshipsFamily & Ancestors
p1The RunawayBy Pamela SneedDespite horrible treatment The lack of acceptance care The threats Giving away all I stand to inherit...RelationshipsFamily & Ancestors
p1the black dykes at 40By R. Erica Doyleletting the words fly like smoke uncurling from our mouths we lie in bed with dykes ten years our junior...LivingMidlifeRelationshipsLGBTQ+Joy & Contentment