Akosua Zimba Afiriyie-Hwedie
Ode to This Body That Fills Itself With Flowers
After Gabriel Ramirez
at midnight, my body is all wake.
all moon in tight dress, taking
on the night. I stretch &
all the flowers within
me stretch. I dig
out the weeds from inside
my skin. grow Corepsis-filled eyes.
correct my body: correct my chin
growing above my back, looking
past to find which day took my lover
& that love, looking past to find
why I did this or said that. this
body knows to walk through
fires till the flames learn to
bow. I call myself a butterfly.
unbox. give myself a
hug. wrap myself, around myself, around myself.
watch my layers, wrap around my layers.
see brick, wrap around brick.
see a rainbow surround itself.
The Sacrifice of Praise
She wild
fire growing
reaching up
all her reach up
all her do is reach –
& pray herself a heaven up there.
Akosua Zimba Afiriyie-Hwedie is a Zambian-Ghanaian poet raised in Botswana. She currently lives in New York. She is a Callaloo and Watering Hole fellow as well as a Cave Canem workshop participant. Her work has appeared in The Felt.