![POETRY SPOTLIGHT: GOLDEN
GOLDEN READS TWO POEMS “TWIN” & “[X][Y]/[X][X]”
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POETRY SPOTLIGHT:
GOLDEN
GOLDEN READS TWO POEMS
“TWIN” & “[X][Y]/[X][X]”
TWIN
for Twin
[X] [Y]
bitch, you aren’t –––––––––––––––––––[improper]
to love, you are –––––––––––––––––––[impossible]
to gun, without the world ––––––––––––[watching]
me turn to ––––––––––––––––––––––––[genocide]
I’d be a criminal for –––––––––––––––––[life]
sentences, say –––––––––––––––––––[less,]
if they want me ––––––––––––––––––––[to prove]
it. This nation knows ––––––––––––––––[not]
what it –––––––––––––––––––––––––––[birthed]
Beasts have human ––––––––––––––––[etymologies]
even ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––[evil]
sounds ––––––––––––––––––––––––––[treasonous]
to our ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––[tread]
They’ve only seen ––––––––––––––––––[vibrations]
of hell. Only seen ––––––––––––––––––[victims]
as ghosts. Twins be –––––––––––––––––[omniscient]
like light. My ––––––––––––––––––––––[hands]
travel ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––[area codes]
speak to –––––––––––––––––––––––––[tongues]
We be –––––––––––––––––––––––––––[god]
cus we worship ––––––––––––––––––––[intravenously]
Once I dreamt you ––––––––––––––––––[tombed]
& decided ––––––––––––––––––––––––[enough]
trying to ––––––––––––––––––––––––––[breathe]
kneeling. To convince ––––––––––––––––[humans]
to human. Mothers to ––––––––––––––––[mother]
O womb ––––––––––––––––––––––––––[warrior]
O worst sister ––––––––––––––––––––––[separated]
even our family don’t want us ––––––––––[talking]
about childhood ––––––––––––––––––––[loss]
about our country –––––––––––––––––––[lessons]
Even our brother don’t want us –––––––––[at war]
without him ––––––––––––––––––––––––[Fear]
faces every photo of –––––––––––––––––[us]
At Grannie’s –––––––––––––––––––––––[house]
we say we –––––––––––––––––––––––––[ratchet]
so people can hold the –––––––––––––––[weight]
of our weapons –––––––––––––––––––––[preamble]
O say can you see the –––––––––––––––[warning,]
the wishing for this ––––––––––––––––––[end]
to be –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––[psychology]
What if ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––[therapists]
apologized. What if ––––––––––––––––––[healing]
could –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––[horizon]
home. I’d give ––––––––––––––––––––––[giving]
up. I’d give speeches to ––––––––––––––[the sky]
There will be no –––––––––––––––––––––[here]
left, after your ––––––––––––––––––––––[heaven]
What’s to ––––––––––––––––––––––––––[save?]
this world would be –––––––––––––––––[ ]
Golden (they/them) is a black gender-nonconforming trans-femme photographer and poet raised in Hampton, VA, currently residing in Boston, MA. 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), and a Pushcart Nomination (wildness, 2019). Their work has been featured on/at the Shade Journal, the Offing, wildness, Button Poetry, Buzzfeed, i-D, Interview Magazine, & elsewhere. Golden holds a BFA in Photography from New York University and is currently a City of Boston Artist-in-Residence.
Instagram: @goldenthem_.
Twitter: @goldenthem.
Website: goldengoldengolden.com.
Note: Golden’s poem “TWIN” will be printed in the forthcoming Issue 68 of Great River Review.