Issue One - Natalie N. Narine
Observation
Cautious grasshopper of black and orange
Posing for a portrait against the brick
Wings, monotonous drumbeats
Were you an African queen tortured to the brink of insanity
Fleeing with locust who rub each other beyond boundaries
Shedding ethnic exoskeletons
Security, comfortable homes with common names
Your offspring will betray your secret
Hmmmm
Responsible and ambitious
Admirable
While punching numbers do you
subconsciously think of fingering me
Listening to the drone which you
could rattle off in your sleep
Does it become a lullaby that I sing
The anxious, nervous energy
Hands running through hair
Tapping of pen
Shaking of feet
Is it the task at hand or the visuals
of me here
Knowing I am dripping with anticipation
of the weight of you pressed against me
Would it make it easier if I was made of
circuits and wires, and my electricity
could be disengaged by flipping off the
power strip?