I don't need no knights in shining armor Ain't no horses in the hood I killed chivalry myself with a pocketknife A mean mug and a bad mood. I don't need you to fight my battles 'Cause I've already won this war Got brothas hollering at me from the corner Then curse me out when they get ignored. But if you step to that brotha Who disrespected me...Learn More

Pride By Zuri Benitez We were not supposed to be proud. We were not supposed to love these things so hard: the chipping paint, the missing floorboards, the gas stove we have to light with matches, the cracks in the windows, the moldy bathroom tiles, the mice and the roaches. But I've never known anything else. These broken things all spell home...Learn More

if oceans are the wombs of the world then I am the interconnecting umbilical cord with deep love flowing like the swirling hems of dresses in dances for you goddess and instead of sea salt I'm sprinkled with golden dust to shimmer like the sun because it loves me back even while beating on my wrapped head like a tambora and I am born hot and...Learn More

I am that tall glass of lemonade where sugar sits at the bottom, Never rising to the top. Sweet and sour don't mix to quench this thirst Wrapping around my throat where a bittersweet song is lodged. You serenade Me while I sip this honey lemonade potion, you are a love brew. Damn boy, you got me thirsty over you. Mouth dry, lips chapped, I'm...Learn More

¡Ay Madrina! ¡Mi madrina! The very last drumbeat has left its mark. Its pulsing rhythm leaves no sound, like blown-out candles in the dark. The singing voices muted, the quiet prayers unheard, the orishas have retreated, your shining light now blurred. ¡Pero mi corazón! ¡Mi corazón! The only music left against the melody of my own song, to my sweet...Learn More

Hey rich boy, how much for that dollar? I need to buy a dream I've gathered the clouds and stars to form a cheerleading team Shouting "Shoot your shot!" from the sidelines thinking that if I win They all have a turn at this wheel to take it for a spin My mama wants to play too, but she's late to this game A dollar is a dollar, she says, things...Learn More

If I fall in love Will I sink to the bottom And swallow water Make my belly full With hopes of tender kisses Round like the moonlight High over Bushwick Playing Cupid with our hearts I am the archer...Learn More

Ball don't lie, how it bounces off concrete With swag, sway, and dip The way the girls on the sidelines flip As you run, jump, shuffle your feet Your dance moves, like sugar so sweet From here to the moon, boy, take me on this trip If I snatch this ball from you, will you kiss me on the lip Your wink, your smile, your touch like a treat You hold...Learn More

Dear Mr. Oliver Otis Howard, I wonder if when we name places after important people, we've made them immortal in some way. That their ghosts can linger in corners and halls and dusty dorm rooms to see me writing this letter to some dead white man who probably could never have imagined that I'd exist. Have you heard of the Dominican Republic, Mr....Learn More

Step onto my block and walk these jagged broken streets and sidewalk cracks like rickety bridges across our backs to the ends of rainbows reflecting off broken glass where the pot of gold is way on the other side of this world. So we hood girls shout our pain into the megaphone wind hoping that it will carry our dreams to sky-scraping...Learn More