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.