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you can run but you can’t hide
This poem was written by Lana C. Marilyn in a 12-Month Poetry Collection Generator taught by Angel Nafis.
Holes in the WaterHoles in the Water
should now begin to emerge from hiding, in the pockets of despair and shadows, where they lived: empty places, the umbilicus of the lopped mouths of mannequins, from which venom mistakes itself for medicine, and glistens in diamond light. but blessings are a commodity in the presence of ruin: soft graves in the blood, and in the milk, and in the water, it
this is the longest game of hide and seek i have ever played.
it
do you know how many bones i had to fold to fit in. do you know how many little girls i had to hold hostage to fit in. i,t
it
ititbut discovery the game forbids, because here a hungry mouth is a greedy mouth, and a closed mouth is a kingdom unyet conquered.
it?
a chorus of understanding? an oasis in my city of fears?
it?
the heat in the belly? the sickness? the fire? itsif not the dizziness, lapse of breath, the pauses between the thunder and the light?
ready or ready or ready or—
Lana C. Marilyn is an interdisciplinary literary artist and writer of Afro-Caribbean descent from Brooklyn, NY whose practice includes zinemaking, collage, audio, and performance. She is a grantee of the Brooklyn Arts Council and Citizens Committee for New York City on behalf of The Lit Exhibit, an independent curated literary program which she hosts annually. When not writing, she likes to cry in her spare time and overshare her feelings on Twitter (@cinniie) and Instagram (@cinnxessa). For more of her work, visit lanalbxe.com.
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