2018 Academy of American Poets Prize

 

 

Deep Space in my head for these thoughts:

nights of black bean soup and 99 cent bread for dinner, 

‘cause we can’t afford much else.

 

Pitch black

midnight staring contests with the ceiling, 

when worries fill our mind.

 

Sometimes, it feels like life is a twilight zone 

to white friends who appropriate our struggle, 

like black trauma is fashion.

 

Tainted lands, dirty waters. Like,

Flint is still without clean drinking water— 

 

We were eager for the Black Panther movie because: 

representation is vital, and he looks like us!

 

Goodbye,

deep caviar dreams.

I no longer want to be rich: just alive.