African, American-Soiled Immigrants
—Ryhanna Mbakop
African, American-Soiled Immigrants
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Stripped naked, painted in blue blood—
if these tender breasts could kill,
we’d rebirth our ancestors. Sinners. They call us
agojie: we mustn’t sleep lest the half-spirits dwell among us.
They question how time passes, but still, we breathe
the same air of dysfunction. Imbibed palmyra wine,
we call ourselves poets to escape impending disease.
Loneliness. Yellowjackets. Inverted walls.
We trade red kisses for congested, iridescent lights
left in the crevices of our taut, caramel skin.
Words spill off the page. Tainted. We write elegies
to our homeland Douala, Cameroon.
Our love left on my exit to I-95,
our bodies tumble on the entryway
to St. Nicholas Church. Genuflect & pray—
we African, are well-fed immigrants disguised
under the American, Confederate flag.
About
RYHANNA MBAKOP is a rising senior from Springdale, Maryland. A National Gold Medalist, her work has been recognized by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. She is an alumna of the Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop and the Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship Program. Ryhanna also serves as the founder and editor-in-chief of her school's literary magazine, The Elite, and when she is not writing, she enjoys reading and baking.