“It’s possible I crossed paths with the ghost of my grandfather, whose blood is mine but whose life I can barely fathom.”

“The very presence of our pretty faces is pornographic.”

“Never have I felt more certain that a woman should not be forced to be the vessel for an unwanted pregnancy.”

“Why when I look at you & see no traces of me I see a whole bloodline shrunk down to a question mark.”

“I couldn’t love you more if I had birthed you.”

“But while the nation’s attention is diverted, black men, women, and children continue to die.”

“I am complacent again as I swallow his fingers.”

“Splinters of memory come out in my teeth as I pass the time with my hands in my mouth.”

“I prayed for a hairy chest.”

“more toxic than chemical exposure, is the act of not owning your thoughts or speaking your mind”

“This is not an argument with God or about God or for God”

“Metal is autumn and grief and weeping and the color white and the mother of Water.”

“Heat travels faster than pain”

“You slipped into a childhood brogue and cried your little green eyes out like a baby.”

“They shared the commonalities of language and home”

“The stove needs to be checked thirty more times, or your mother will artlessly burst into flames.”

“I don’t love my body, and this makes me feel like I’m failing”

“The end results of human endeavors don’t often live up to expectations”

“Nothing is free, least of all female sexuality”

“The anxiety that I felt over my gender identity was always latent, ready to present itself at a moment’s notice.”