dreams are alive,
Singing and dancing with praise,
And the grains of faith are ripe for the harvest.
I went back into my past and planted a garden there . . .
Now as the future blooms eternal—
She rejoices.
ASSATA ANDREWS
YEARS AS MENTEE: 2
GRADE: Senior
HIGH SCHOOL: Hillside Arts and Letters Academy
BORN: Queens, NY
LIVES: Queens, NY
MENTEE’S ANECDOTE: At first, I was afraid to start all over with a new mentor because it is tough for me to meet new people. However, Kate was able to take all of my worries away and I am able to talk to her about topics that I wouldn’t with my friends, making me enjoy meeting her every week. She gives me criticism that gives me the ability to think about what I want my work to become. Also, Kate makes sure that I understand my goals. I appreciate her hard work and the good atmosphere that she brings every week.
KATE BRYANT
YEARS AS MENTOR: 1
OCCUPATION: MFA Candidate at Queens College
BORN: Marietta, OH
LIVES: Queens, NY
MENTOR’S ANECDOTE: Assata’s creativity is really inspiring and I’ve been impressed and amazed with how she plans out her stories. I have learned a lot from talking to her about time management and relating about our shared perfectionist tendencies. We’ve both been juggling lots of deadlines this year, so we are really ready to plan something fun. I think often about how much braver she is than I was when I was her age and how clear she is about her writing goals, and I’m really excited for her to continue expanding her writing horizons in college and beyond.
I came up with this piece once I began to think about the problems African American women face when it comes to being dehumanized and looked down upon by the world and our own community.
To those with large, dark lips, nappy kinks, and midnight skin—
sorry to say that we amount to nothing
We are nothing but the loudmouthed, dumb, jealous, ugly, and bitter roaches that everyone is ready to step on
Even our own are prepared to do it
We are the female dog, the garden tool, and that is all we’ll ever add up to be
Our beauty is nonexistent
We hold no power or resilience
When someone says we deserve better, prepare yourself for the rants:
“No! All women deserve better!”
Feeling pretty?
Well let’s prepare ourselves to be bashed against the head and spat on by our own men
Skin color will separate us because light is always better
Bodies drooled over, but when finished being used
are thrown out like trash or dragged through the mud no matter what we do
Portrayed as hoodrats, poor, and ghetto is an inevitability
Attitudes holding us back because we are the worst kind of woman
Imagine believing that?
Imagine that we aren’t the glue that is holding this world together
Imagine that we haven’t influenced others,
despite never having been given any credit that we deserve
Imagine thinking that our sun-kissed skin is an abomination to society unless it is as light as a brown paper bag like Beyoncé’s
Imagine that we aren’t one of the most educated demographics
Imagine that we can’t come together and grow
We are powerful, resilient, and beautiful
And we do deserve so much more.
Even though I know how very far
When I wrote this I was thinking about some of the things Assata and I have been talking about this year: our hopes and fears about the future, and how to share the reality of our experiences through words.
The eclipse made me think of
two cartoon mice singing to one another
Fievel and his sister, whose name you might not remember
but it’s Tanya Mousekewitz
And later a steel drum band covering the song
someone sending it to me before the reality problem chasmed between us
And later, quite recently, two celestial bodies converging along their paths
the way they do from time to time
Their pace is leisurely and relentless, a way I’d like to be
A momentary awareness of the shared sky and then we’re back
wrestling strong theories and donating to GoFundMe
Money sent to strangers for any and every thing
A meditation made material, without the pause or the peace
All year I have been tired and awake
or asleep with my mind racing
There’s
