2 Poems by Adaeze I.

Childhood folklore

we had our rituals each summer:

hands sticky with neon color syrup

running down our fingers from

melted popsicles, our mouths loose with

rowdy laughter as we ran with burnt feet

down an unforgivable asphalt road and

i remember how we let our fears

wash away down the gutter /

mixing with torn candy wrappers

and front lawn debris as

summer storms raged around us —

the sun straining against the grieving clouds

and our excitement as we felt

the sky crack open / its thunderous voice

a reassurance of its power

we should have known better than

to wish for bliss amongst chaos

Fruition

In another time we rest underneath hidden orange trees, our fingers sticky from peeling back the sweet ripened fruit, and I’ll wonder to myself how to unfold these crumpled paper butterflies that have settled inside of me in order to tell you how much your laughter stings my heart— how your smooth healing smile devours the mask I wear, until I am left exposed and open beneath the clear sky, the delirious rhythm of my heartbeat confirming a long awaited beginning in me. In this moment I am a fresh forest / thick with spring, breathing back soft memories as I cradle bloomed roses, my fingernails caked with dirt from unearthing the frigid soil, peeling back to find her and I alone, alongside one another— with time non-existent as a longing desire haunts over us, perfuming the air [our warm universe] with a chance to melt wildly into one another, until violets flare in our chests.

Adaeze I. is a 20 year old Nigerian-American QWOC from Florida who currently attends university studying psychology. Besides poetry, she enjoys reading, tea, stormy weather, and catching up on shows like Black Lightning and Doctor Who. You can usually find her in the farthest corner of her favorite local bookstore. To see more of her work, follow her on instagram at: not.a.daisy