you should be a bagger when you grow up
man tells child
momma says to cashier stop
momma turns from cashier to bagger
momma asks man to repeat
child watches momma
child turns from momma to man
man repeats
black momma intercoms the ancestors
white man should pray
Dana Tenille Weekes explores the interiority of what human beings dare to do and are afraid to say. Her poems have been published in A Gathering of the Tribes and Torch Literary Arts, and in forthcoming issues of RHINO Poetry and Obsidian. She is the daughter of Bajan immigrants. (Instagram @danatenilleweekes; Facebook: danatenille)
Are you a Black author interested in having your work published in Awake?
Complete your submission here.