Turtle Island Responds
for my sister

for my sister

it’s a drunkintheafternoon kind of day wrung out acronyms come up on my keyboard instead of my sister’s name it’s a drunkintheafternoon kind of day wrung out acronyms come up on my keyboard instead of my sister’s name this is the place of the abbreviated    form...

they did

they did

you don’t believe your queer friend could do this to your other queer friend. you don’t believe your father could do this to your mother. you don’t believe your mother could do this to your sibling. you don’t believe your teacher could you don’t believe your best...

Late

Late

Everything’s late this year.
Nothing’s dissolved since my last visit to Waterloo—
an evening at the park staring at geese
and we took turns
pushing each other on swings,
pretending we were children.

Caped Men

Caped Men

Lisa, the most beautiful cousin, the 80s flip of dark blonde hair, shiny cotton candy lip gloss, tight striped sweater, squeezing 7-year-old me in that Polaroid, my wild curly ‘fro against her cheek, she had an even, radiant smile, while I was missing four teeth. With...

my blanket.

my blanket.

i wear my trauma like a badge over my heart an enamel pin that tells the world i have seen hell, and i am still here i wear my trauma like a badge over my heart an enamel pin that tells the world i have seen hell, and i am still here i have survived sometimes i am...

Home Is.

Home Is.

I was ten when I first felt brave enough to say, "sometimes, I just feel like I want to go home... but I don't know where home is" I was ten when I first felt brave enough to say, "sometimes, I just feel like I want to go home . . . but I don't know where home is"...