Child with continuing cling issue his No in final fire
-Gwendolyn Brooks
sapphires are lovely as the Star of Bombay revered by Child.
she embodies its six rays replacing spoiled limbs. with
heat she hopes to change her lack luster, halt the continuing
spectrum a cousin sapped from her. a vampire’s cling,
she remembers his as cornflower blue. a distracting issue
a lover is not guilty of. how does he know it’s a turn off? he
cannot enter her that way nor retire to any position. No
moment to gaze without recall. shadows cannot swing in
the amber light. she admires little if at all. a final
twinge when lover pinch upon entering Crayola blush fire.
“The poem, originally a golden shovel, is a form created by Terrance Hayes. It deals with childhood trauma, specifically sexual abuse and the probable inability to have a healthy sex life. I was asked to write several golden shovels based on lines from Gwendolyn Brooks poems—where the name of the form originates from—for an anthology. This is one of them.”
—LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs
A writer, vocalist and sound artist, LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs is the author TwERK (Belladonna*, 2013). Her interdisciplinary work has been presented nationally and internationally. She lives in Harlem.
"Lighthead's Guide to the Galaxy" by Terrance Hayes
"Medusa" by Patricia Smith
June Guest Editor: Samiya Bashir
Thanks to Samiya Bashir, author of Field Theories (Nightboat Books, 2017), who curated Poem-a-Day for this month’s weekdays. Read a Q&A with Bashir about her curatorial approach this month and find out more about our guest editors for the year.
Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.
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