Presidential Candidate Attire: A Skinny
an angry dance of a man,
slick
oily
messiness.
entitled
slick.
mediocrity
drenched
in
slick.
an angry dance of a man.
---
Travel Advisory
Enter at your own risk.
Hide your valuables.
Tuck your cultural artifacts into that secret pocket in your checked bag.
Seal the bag up.
Don’t you wear grandma’s land on your back.
Keep your mother’s tongue out your mouth,
You in America now.
Don’t you let loose of your father’s Gods,
for this country will kill them quick,
will pluck them from their thrones,
and heave them in an apron before they can
Escape
A vat of grease awaits.
Will you have fries with your burger?
The death toll lurks nearby and wonders.
Will it be diabetes?
A school shooting?
Or, a sunny walk in front of an idle driver that will meet you at the gates?
A stamping of a passport thunders nearby
And she asks,
Do you have anything to declare? ---
Courage
What is bravery,
but a jump into fire
wearing only faith
--- 8/19/2024
Dr. Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman is founding director of the multidisciplinary arts group Liberated Muse Arts Group and the 501(c)3 nonprofit Black Writers for Peace and Social Justice (BWPSJ). She is the author of two poetry collections, For the Girls Who Do Too Much and The Summoning of Black Joy, and she is the second Poet Laureate of Prince George's County, Maryland (2023-2026). Her work has received financial and/or professional development support from numerous organizations, including the Prince George's Arts and Humanities Council, the Maryland State Arts Council, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Watering Hole Poetry, Theater Alliance DC, and Poets & Writers. Her forthcoming collection, Parks Stand on All of Our Graves, will be released Fall 2024, a poetry protest against occupation and global oppression. Born in Washington DC, she lives in Maryland with her partner, Ben, and their daughter.
