Anella D. Shillingford 10/30/20 Anella D. Shillingford 10/30/20

A Church Girl Gone Rogue

You said inside

I said no way

You said dolls

I said trucks.

Maelynn Seymour-Major 10/30/20 Maelynn Seymour-Major 10/30/20

Thriving

i flourish

like bougainvillea

that rustles in the breeze

outside my window

pink + plentiful

Heather Doram 10/30/20 Heather Doram 10/30/20

Isolation 1

This piece is full of pathos, evoking pity and sadness…

Jarrod Williams 10/30/20 Jarrod Williams 10/30/20

I Was Eight Years Old

I couldn’t tell her what I had suffered. It was a guarded secret for me.

Javanna Cumberbatch 10/30/20 Javanna Cumberbatch 10/30/20

A SONG BY THE BEACH

The ocean quivers

Its heart is warm now

Its aim is as swift, and precise as a tall bird

Javanna Cumberbatch 10/30/20 Javanna Cumberbatch 10/30/20

NOT TO HAVE

A nation to be built

A noble lion as the head

And a graceful lioness

Justin Credible 10/30/20 Justin Credible 10/30/20

Spice up Your life

Growing up on this Caribbean island meant that society was not accepting of same sex unions. I felt like I had to be “straight” in order to fit in or to be accepted.

Autumn Odlum 10/30/20 Autumn Odlum 10/30/20

Learning and Loving Pink

I can see how stubborn a six-year-old I must have been to proudly proclaim that I would never own anything pink and to loudly declare ,to anyone who would listen, that my favourite colour was actually blue (in truth, I never liked blue that much) .

Javanna Cumberbatch 10/30/20 Javanna Cumberbatch 10/30/20

THISTLE

Your nose need not be pinched

For you were made with straight lines

Your beauty is standard

Latoya Waugh 10/30/20 Latoya Waugh 10/30/20

Her Fate Decided

It was three months after moving into their new home that Toni-Ann was recognising a new pattern with George. He seemed secretive, withdrawn at times and agitated with her most days.

Javanna Cumberbatch 10/30/20 Javanna Cumberbatch 10/30/20

LAUREL WREATHS

As for the little women, their time was up

This day was for the next generation to keep

And lock it away within their memories

Zahra Gordon 10/30/20 Zahra Gordon 10/30/20

S*x Ed for Little Girls

I was doing everything wrong and they made sure I knew.

There were supposed to be two buckets of water, not one. The panties were washed with blue soap before the bath, not after. Body wash was to be applied in a circular motion, not up and down, up and down.