A.V., Whom I’ve Dreamt
sam sax once said that the body “rages, riots, and rots” / unlit post diagnosis
tired / of the blood cells that won’t multiply on time / shitting where i sleep
last night, i dreamt i was gutted and served/ praying
that someone would show themselves
at my bed
ready
to braid courage into my hair
i am not the kind of woman who dies writing poems in the palms of her
hands—reminders to b r e a t h e
my head
d
r
o
o
p
s
like a pale perennial
my mother feeds me
i am barely a body (some weird chassis)
and yet,
the heart still b e a t s.
it is simple:
i am a woman that craves a literature
that does not talk of the ghost of myself, but
what a privilege it is to be a vessel of such strange
love.
Afieya Kipp (she/her) is a queer poet, editor and text-based artist born in Brooklyn, NY. She lives in northern New Jersey where she carries poems in her wallet and is an MFA candidate at Lindenwood University. Follow her on Twitter @AfieyaK.
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