The reeds swayed to the side, Slow dancing in the breeze, The land just beside, The South Jersey sea. The sun shined on the Wetlands, On a sweltering summer day, “Saltwater floods the sand,” Was all she could say. The cattails grew tall, Soaked in the high tide, That heron stayed since last fall, He noted as he looked to the side. It was late afternoon, In the middle of August. It had been hot, Dry as a scrubland. Dry, Cracked, And broken. Then the rain cam

Does it kill you Or make you stronger? Break you down- And bring you back up again? Does it brighten your life? Or darken the clouds- And make it harder to breathe? Maybe it just sits there Like a secret- Or does it make you fly?

Flowers wither, flowers bloom. Thus I rise. Speak your wish. I was told life is like the seasons, an infinite cycle. Yet somewhere along the way, my world was reduced to fields of frozen white. The seasons turn, the heavens bless. Now I offer this dance. We pray for warmth, that life may rise. We pray for rain to cleanse the long night. We pray for moonlight to guard the harvest. A thousand prayers and wishes for my life, traded for a song of peace. Still, the

At five years old, I awaken my parents to play with me. I pull them out of bed, for there is much to see. When the television opens, I jump up and scream, “I want to be beautiful like her, if but merely a dream!” Dismissive words flood me like a sea. “No, no, you are already beautiful to me,” “Your fair tint should be taken as a win!” I tell myself, “I do not need to be white, I love my dark, beautiful skin.” At seven years, I inquire of my kin, “What makes ugliness such a si

She flew, a spirit unbound I grew on familiar ground She knew stories untold I had no clue, stories yet to unfold One melody lost I counted the cost She saw darkness in the light I didn’t know just how bright She took off, but never landed I didn’t know until I was stranded She flew beyond the blue I didn’t know the why or who