Abstract
There are some remembrances that are burned into memory: hospital corridors, last moments, and slowed time. It’s easy to measure grief by the days in which the weight is too much. Scales toppled. Memories flashed. But what of its grayness? Abandoned dishes in the sink, the monotony of repeating the “death story,” halted sympathies, and personal absentmindedness. Grief shares a room with the hard truths about Black mortality that are dependent on zip codes, socioeconomic class, and deeply rooted anti-blackness. So unsettling is this grief that is easily tangled within larger webs that it seems to lose its sacredness. Holiness comes from embodiment. I am here and a product of my ancestors (no matter how complicated). My breath is a life force. My breath is a rebellion. My breath will be my salvation. Grief teaches that finding your breath and groundedness is the antidote to strength.To view the original version of this poem, see the supplemental material section of this article online.
Keywords
The freeway will seem familiar (this time) With unkempt brush growing over the ironically smooth surface Different from that slate day in December two years ago You were an explosion sheltered in a car Lava concealed as tears Ash rising in heaves The death call came from sister (last time) Breath caught between lung and tectonic plates Spinning Horizontal but never upright On this road lives a parallel life And yet today is not that day So Remember Where the door is Remember The car is moving on flat and stable ground Remember There is life for you still Remember Where your breath is The hospital parking lot will be unfamiliar (this time) Bright and unassuming You will walk today Not run Not screech Past linoleum floors and bells welcoming new arrivals You will look up room number and last name They will be alive (this time) It will not be too late It will not be too late Today, those who enter will leave
Supplementary Material
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