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EVERY DAY IS A CHANCE TO REVOLT

By Golden

[X]                                                                [Y]

Eyes open: I see every planet ————————–[pregnant]
with [pedestrians] –—————in their—————–[rivers]

& I wonder if this is the ————————————[Matrix]
reloaded in my [brain] ————the———————[agents]

telling me red is ———————————————[ripe]
[nectar]  ——————for tomorrow’s——————[burial]

What is –——————————————————[power]
if not a [plane] ––—————in a————————[forest]

a —————————————————————–[colony]
between [people]——————&————————[ponds?]

————————————[America]——————————
I’m [burning] ————home to the———————[country]

with marble ————————————————–[plantations]
for [stay] –——————Gargoyles &——————[guests]

we are every animal in the ——————————[extinction]
every [name] –—————in the————————[prison]

gutter. There is no——————————————[mild]
distance [between] –———God &———————[Leviathan]

Who made the ———————————————[sin]
machine? Who paid [flesh]——for enslaved——–[fruit?]

Garden dwellers, this world is our –——————[war]
means [White] —————————Olympus——[let-down]

it’s Golden ————————————————–[weapons]
The future is [passing] —————for—————[annihilation]

if you stay with your –————————————[prayer]
[pretending] ———————you don’t—————[want]

freedom without the —————————————[capital]
[fences]——————without calling yourself a–—[patriot]

 

[X]                                                                [X]

Eyes open: I see every planet ————————–[breathing]
with [pomegranates] ——————in their–———[future]

& I wonder if this is the ————————————[world]
reloaded in my [heart] —————the——————[abolitionists]

telling me red is ———————————————[sweet]
[word] ———————for tomorrow’s——————[revolt]

What is ———————————————————[purpose]
if not a [hope]——————in a—————————[cave]

a ——————————————————————[conversation]
between [peacocks] ————&—————————[pterodactyls?]

—————————————[Zion]——————————
I’m [coming] ——————home to the——————[zoo]

with marble——————————————————[cutters]
for [fronts]——————Gargoyles &———————[guides]

we are every animal in the ———————————[arc]
every [pinecone] ————————in the—————[street]

gutter. There is no ———————————————[miles]
distance [between]—————God &———————[revolution]

Who made the ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––[president]
machine? Who paid [money] ———for enslaved——[children?]

Garden dwellers, this world is our ————————–[wings]
means [Black] ——————————Olympus———[shines]

it’s Golden————————————————–——[allegiance]
The future is [today] —————for————————[tomorrow]

if you stay with your ——————————————[neighbors]
[singing] ————————you don’t———————[carry]

freedom without the ——————————————[dandelion]
[dance]———————without calling yourself a——[honeybee]

 

 

 

Listen as Golden reads “EVERY DAY IS A CHANCE TO REVOLT.”
Added: Thursday, February 2, 2023  /  Poem used with permission.
Golden
Photo by Golden, in collaboration with the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Golden (they/them) is a Black gender-nonconforming trans-femme photographer, poet, & community organizer raised in Hampton, VA (Kikotan land), currently residing in Brooklyn, NY (Lenapehoking land). They are the author of A Dead Name That Learned How to Live (Game Over Books) and the photographic self-portraiture series On Learning How to Live, documenting Black trans life at the intersections of surviving & living in the United States.

Golden is the recipient of a Pink Door Fellowship (2017/2019), an Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Luminaries Fellowship (2019), the Frontier Award for New Poets (2019), a Best of the Net Award (2020), a City of Boston Artist-in-Residence (2020-2021), a Mass Cultural Council Fellowship in Photography (2021), a Women Photograph Project Grant (2021), & a Tufts University Art Galleries Creative Futures Fund Grant (2022). They hold a BFA in Photography & Imaging from New York University. Their published & collaborative work can be found on Instagram (@goldenthem_) or through their website.

Image Description: Golden, wearing a red velvet durag, a red & white strapless tank top, & a red shoulder bag stands in front of a gold & red tapestry.

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