Yuri

By Tiana Nobile When you held him, how heavy was his head cradled in your lap? How long did you carry that
weight in your thighs?

spell for reclaiming the moment

By adrienne maree brown even now
we could be happy

even now

breathing in
filling our bodies with right now

By Rio Cortez Just as close to living as you are to disappearing knowing
my limits you locate the tender spots without.

By Caridad Moro-Gronlier if i should
take you
to that spot
by the water
you can’t pronounce
but love

By Siaara Freeman When I say ancestors, let’s be clear:
I mean slaves. I’m talkin’ Tennessee
cotton & Louisiana suga. I mean grave dirt.

By Cintia Santana inside
a cell
a heart

(my cousin’s)

inside
his heart
(inside
a cell)
a cluster
of cells

arrested

By Aurora Levins Morales Why do they call us "the patient"
We are not patient. We endure.

By Joselia Rebekah Hughes Black able rack able
hack able tack able
lack able slack able

By Liv Mammone The train is a creature that moves like water.
It has no eyes, only a sharp
mouth that closes on those too slow.

By Liza Sparks When a ponderosa pine
is over one hundred—
it sheds a layer of bark.