Masking
Becoming Rage
Tantie Mary say that since me feel me a big woman now, to gwan and don’t comeback. The words still ring in my head three weeks later. My last image of Hibiscus Road featured the woman who raised me.
A Church Girl Gone Rogue
You said inside
I said no way
You said dolls
I said trucks.
Thriving
i flourish
like bougainvillea
that rustles in the breeze
outside my window
pink + plentiful
Isolation 1
This piece is full of pathos, evoking pity and sadness…
I Was Eight Years Old
I couldn’t tell her what I had suffered. It was a guarded secret for me. Opening the wounds meant exposing him and by exposing him I left myself bare. Somehow in my eight year old’s mind, I felt the need to protect him and save both of us from the embarrassment
A SONG BY THE BEACH
The ocean quivers
Its heart is warm now
Its aim is as swift, and precise as a tall bird
NOT TO HAVE
A nation to be built
A noble lion as the head
And a graceful lioness
Spice up Your life
Yes, I had experiences with girls however I could not help but be attracted to guys. My attraction to guys led to a few experiences, some of which I am proud of, some of which led to emotional scars.
Learning and Loving Pink
I can see how stubborn a six-year-old I must have been to proudly proclaim that I would never own anything pink and to loudly declare ,to anyone who would listen, that my favourite colour was actually blue (in truth, I never liked blue that much) .
THISTLE
Your nose need not be pinched
For you were made with straight lines
Your beauty is standard
Her Fate Decided
It was three months after moving into their new home that Toni-Ann was recognising a new pattern with George. He seemed secretive, withdrawn at times and agitated with her most days.
LAUREL WREATHS
As for the little women, their time was up
This day was for the next generation to keep
And lock it away within their memories
S*x Ed for Little Girls
I was doing everything wrong and they made sure I knew.
There were supposed to be two buckets of water, not one. The panties were washed with blue soap before the bath, not after. Body wash was to be applied in a circular motion, not up and down, up and down.
I value myself
For so long physical and verbal abuse I endured…
DRESSES IN THE CLOSET
I never thought I’d use you
Waiting intentions not placed on you
Your beauty is now utilized
PEARLS TO REMEMBER
Remember, you reap what you sew
You shall be given vineyards you did not plant,
Houses you did not build
Welcome To De Sarcophagus Ah Patriarkey
De day afta de Red Muddah shut-up shap
Darkness de covah de rims ah Guyana
Castin de plague ah shadows
Into de souls ah de eye-suh-late.
If you’re anything like me
If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably known for a long long time that your mental landscape is very different…
Flight
We watched the queens of New Kingston in the gayest gully on earth caged birds with ambitions to soar grounded by clipped wings