She stood at the sink, washing her hands and checking her hair in the mirror. The frizz was back, frizzing without forgiveness, showing her true origins, giving zero fucks for all efforts otherwise. The natural-born kinks were more significant than the hundreds of dollars spent straightening her locks into whiteness and conformity — no amount of water on her hands could smooth or remove the traits of her lineage. Cue the self-loathing and the forced sense of belonging she'd spent two decades creating.
Read MoreTriggers as catalysts for reclaiming stolen worth.
Beady-eyed, he smirks, his lips curling back from his bleachy-keen teeth; he is adorned in his vulgarity and crimes like the victor’s laurel wreath. Like a rat on the run with food, the state representative scurries away with pieces of women’s sanctuary. His words reflect utter indifference to decency, “it’s not my fault she was blackout-drunk and didn’t say no.” Criminal and bully, he’s a carbon copy of the boys-will-be-boys club of mediocre men who use their privilege to violate others.
Read More
Mothering a high school senior is a restless wrestle between joy and grief. Timelines tread across my heart steadfast to the shores of tomorrow where my child belongs.
Read More
In the mirror are all the women I am walking home.
I see my heroine's journey and the journeys of my ancestors. On this noble matriarch's migration, I am the captain entrusted to chart the course of totality. Our collective wholeness brings revelations, reclamations, and renewal. In the mirror, I see home.
Read MoreI wasn't ready to receive the three zip-sealed bags you gave to me.
Your eyes reflecting intention and heartfelt affinity that your long-saved collection was essential for me to see. They held photos and artifacts of our story—not all, but mostly the best not the wounds, simply the rest.
Giving into a powerful emotion or influence is defined as surrendering. There's another word that fits this description, one that encompasses this release. Motherhood.
Read More