The Poetry Marathon

Watching you sleep

I admire every curve of your lips

the shape of your body

and all the scars

You look at me and smile

and I wonder how I got so lucky

This is an accomplishment

me loving you

a year ago I could not have imagined

I look forward to creating more memories with you

I imagine New Zealand is like the Lord of the Rings

filled with wizards and dwarfs

expansive landscapes

mountains that reach the heavens

White people with funny accents

close to Australian

but not quite

Their own brand of racism

something that I can look at

and observe from afar

without personally being hurt

In the city

nature is forced into a corner

plants separated two feet apart

man’s organized chaos

plants in pots

reaching towards the sun

warmth felt through glass

But sometimes

sometimes nature breaks through concrete

refusing to be tamed

There is a general lethargy

towards yet another Zoom call

Our lives reduced to screens

though some of us have abandoned the screens

in favor of summer’s heat

It is a strange time

people fight over the right to not wear a mask

as if the virus is political

or cares about your god

Wonder what the history books will say about us

The mask hides

frowning

pouting

smiling

yawning

pleading

grinning

beaming

thinking

shushing

smirking

grimacing

lying

A face confused

worried

hushed

astonished

flushed

anguished

relieved

unamused

Someone anxious

or fearful

or pensive

or sleepy

But you can still see tears

Season of the Awakening

Apparently they didn’t know

didn’t know things were so bad

But somehow

between being locked down

stuck in our houses

forced to live via screens

and watching

(apparently they had to watch it)

George Floyd be lynched

White America woke up

It helped that Trump was so blatantly racist

shit hole countries

brown kids in cages

It became too obvious to look away

Welcome to the cookout

You’re late

But we’re glad you’re here

Toes in the sand

waves crashing into the sea

warm sun

slight breeze

children playing

splashing

a strawberry basil popsicle

cold and sweet

falling asleep in your arms

warm and safe

Sometimes it’s hard to see past your own nose

But out here

on this boat

endless sky above me

I am reminded

how small I am

how small my problems are

They used to think the world was flat

Some still do

They used to think the Earth was at the center of the universe

White people still do

It has knocked the wind out of them

to think they are not the center of the universe

My world has forever revolved around yours

Our survival depended on it

It is time for a new worldview

Dark Chocolate

We haven’t spoken in eight years

I think of you often

Are you that same boy I fell in love with?

The boy with the dimples

The boy who wanted to become a firefighter

And did

I wonder what you’re like

If you would even speak to me

The fear keeps me back

Forgotten

Here are some names you might not know-

Tony McDade

Nina Pop

Riah Milton

Dominique ‘Rem-Mie’ Fells

Monika Diamond

Black trans matter lives

Some people say

Black lives matter

Includes black trans people

The “all lives matter”

Of the black community

They say gender and sex are the same

That we create division where there should be unity

Transphobia over love

Leaving those most vulnerable to fend for themselves

Black trans lives matter

But we will not forget our brothers and sisters

Our non-binary family

Their lives will not be taken in vain

They receive hate from both sides

The black community

And the gay community

Black trans lives matter