by Uchechi | Apr 17, 2017 | Blog
#NaPoWriMo Day 16
in bloom
for my brother
I just wanted you
to smell the flowers
with me
they were glorious
i brought them home
carefully wrapped
like a new child
i carefully clipped the ribbon at the base
and i put them in a vase
and they were absolutely stunning
you would have loved them
every corner of the house filled with the scent
i put my nose in the edges crevice of the house
the walls
a moment of meditation
to breathe this scent
i ended up crying
because you are not here with me
to smell the flowers
but you reminded me
that it was always you
blooming
in the room
by Uchechi | Apr 16, 2017 | Blog
#NaPoWriMo Day 15
I’ve made it to the halfway mark. This is a big deal for me. I am a poet and always will be, but in year’s past I haven’t been able to fully commit to this challenge. This process is stirring up something inside me and it’s a good thing. The point of this exercise is to just create and not thing too much about it. Some of the poems might seem wonderful and others might be something i put in a folder and don’t use. But to get to the useful work, I must create the rough first drafts. I must create the imperfect. And And right now, creating the imperfect and trusting that process is nourishing me. I hope it’s doing the same for you. Enjoy!
But, now, here I am doing it.
break me
break me then rebuild me
i want to be pieces you’re afraid to step on
littering the floor
there’s glass there
it shows up in the ways i hide
we all do it
a voice tells us not to do something because our mother’s wouldn’t approve
we are the daughters of women who did something that their mother’s
didn’t approve of
the idea of being whole formedhaving it figured out has no place here
for me i call bullshit
let me look upon myself glass richocheted on the new floors
now thisl this is the unmaking and remaking
we must break ourselves first
then go looking amongst the pieces
and pick the shards we want
to remain
by Uchechi | Apr 14, 2017 | Blog
Today’s poem was inspired by a conversation I had with my mother earlier this week. I knew her immigration story from Nigeria to the United States, but what I didn’t know was the story she told of applying for her first passport. I didn’t know what it was like for her to hold that in her hand and to also connect the dots and see the possibilities that were about to open up for her. This poem is for my mother. Thank you for applying for your first passport.
#NaPoWriMo Day 14
the passport
my mother never knew just what it felt like
to hold one
the smooth slightly pebbled jacket
the anemic yet sturdy spine
for the first time
she held her future
she took that spine
and built a whole back
for her children to stand up
straight
by Uchechi | Apr 13, 2017 | Blog
#Napowrimo Day 13:
Today I was inspired by a conversation with a dear friend. Talking with her made me think about the loved ones who carry us and make it possible for us to be ourselves and celebrate ourselves. Enjoy!
we talk about our son’s math exam
his next game
the other son loves his big brother
we laugh at the journey the multiple state lines
we’ve crossed the border of our family
we’ve built
but what about talking about you
today let’s forget the kids the next
sporting event the school play the caravan of kids
spilling out of the van today
you are the best thing about my day
today it is you who pulled through
allowed me to wake in a bed on the beach and be with myself
and celebrate my birthday
another year of becoming
my dear there is nothing left to talk about except
all the ways you bowl me over with your space to hold it all
the kids the games the friends the laughter the caravans
and me you did the work
made space for me
and that my dear is why
i call you
beloved
