2020 has been a beast of a year, and we’ve still got a third left. I don’t dare ask what’s next. I’m confounded by the deaths of the Black Mamba and the Black Panther in a world reeling with loss. My pain flares anew at memes that question whether my Read more
“Wow” she whispered. It was going to be like that. Rude awakenings. Quite literally discovering ugly truths about your new lover before the coffee was cold in the cup. Leesa’s coffee always went cold. She didn’t really love coffee truth be told, but it was the one social libation she Read more
Rage. I was all set to write about rage and then something washed over me. Grace? Probably not. Probably fatigue. I’m spent, what with all the raging. I remember that there’s a new moon, maybe it transited to a benevolent position when I sat down to write. I want to Read more
There is a picture, in a box, in a basement, of a little girl that could be this little girl. She is also a little brown girl with a Jamaican father and Asian bloodlines. Her hair is in two identical braids held in place with the same baubles. The baubles Read more
Oh hair. It’s a busy subject, a hub for much physical judgement. For many women our image is entangled with our tresses. For black women it’s an even knottier affair with as many twists as we have curl patterns. Allow me to unbraid the journey to my current moment of Read more
A. sat politely trying to not fuss with the scratchy tulle detail at the collar of her special dress. She still felt the pinch from the last wearing of the pretty, hateful, Christmas present. It was quick and furtive but precisely aimed at the soft inner skin of her upper Read more
The day just won’t start. Like a cold engine on an early winter morning. The sky is grey and lacks brightness. That is a light lie. Winter mornings can be blindingly bright. The cruel sparkle of frost and ice flash a warning to proceed with care. Everything is on display Read more
Who doesn’t love a little retail therapy? That rush of dumping a bag full of NEWness onto the bed when you get home? Swiftly finding hangers and a spot in the closet for the new items. I’ve spent an indulgent amount of time folding and refolding a new addition to Read more