blooming
by Jayden Jones
i tried to write a poem.
i tried to write about lemon rinds and this thin, peach sky,
and lavender bushes humming with bees.
but i ended up on google
searching,
benefits of lemon: promotes hydration,
source of vitamin c, eases curdled
white guilt coiled around caucasian intestines.
psychological effects of sunset are only for those
who have permission to sleep,
to have closure,
to turn the brightness down on a picture,
drive down the street,
eat together at home.
medicinal properties of lavender, primarily
used as an antiseptic,
anti inflammatory agent, reduces anxiety,
insomnia, restlessness.
i tried to write a poem.
i tried to write about lemon rinds and this thin, peach sky,
and lavender bushes humming with bees.
but i ended up on google, crying.
her living body not enough,
his living body not enough,
my living body not enough,
our living bodies not enough,
lemons not enough, sunset
not enough, lavender not enough,
silence not enough.
i tried to write a poem.
i tried to write about lemon rinds and this thin, peach sky,
and lavender bushes humming with bees.
but instead
the lemon decomposed quietly in the glass
and the peach sky became black (and so beautiful)
and the bees left the lavender and fell silent,
leaving me with just these lines:
from somewhere in houston,
george floyd’s mouth blooming,
(let all of america bloom, too.)