Like popsicle sticks stuck on flimsy construction paper, her mouth glued shut. I just sat there and stared in awe while her lips moved but absolutely nothing came out. It worked, it really worked. … My apartment apothecary was flourishing. Growth crept out of every crack, crease, and crevice. My…

SEEDS FOR NEESIE: A TALE OF RE-ENTRY. For months, it was just my dog and me. Walking our somber Queens neighborhood. I couldn’t see him. I couldn’t see her. I couldn’t see them. So, I learned how to do my own box braids through social media. I baked chocolate chip cookies and attempted my own version of…

My father never left this country. I’m pretty sure he didn’t even own a passport. He, a reclusive athlete from the east side of Cleveland, only knew work and more work. Leaving the United States was something he never talked about. He rarely smiled. I only saw him cry once…

It never crossed my mind to be an educator until I met Ms. Dora Hudson. A compact and mighty, open-mouthed laughing black woman. I am smiling as I’m typing this. Living right off Georgetown street on the west side of Lexington, Kentucky, my hometown. She always wore an oversized shirt…

ONE DAY I WILL WRITE ABOUT BEING SINGLE DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC. I got a bike For my birthday Lime green 16 inch wheels That fold Kinda like a dress with pockets I ride around Queens Proud. I ran more than 40 miles Since May Legs tighter Stomach lighter Sweat…

MY LOPSIDED AFRO, HOSPITAL GOWNS, AND THE MAN WHO LOVED ME. I remember the day like it was yesterday. It was a frigid day in Queens and I laid in my bed about to close my eyes for the night. My phone rang. It was my mother. “Hey baby girl…” …