As the days tick by,

doubts about my supposed brilliance,

relentless fatigue has clung to me like a shroud, 

a problem for which I possess no solution.

Society is so caught up on gender bias

This country is heading for a major crisis.

What makes Peter different from Paul.

This, I don’t understand at all.

I awoke with a piercing headache, in what seemed to be an abandoned home, with my arms hurting, and my feet numb. I instantly panicked and started to scream for help not knowing that my screaming would soon become a foreshadowing of disaster.

You made an incision in my chest, 

So deep it pierced my trembling heart. 

Unbeknownst, you vanished without a trace, 

Leaving me to bleed, as you sought another's embrace. 

Is this home? I wondered as I stood in the doorway of our new apartment, sighing at the plain sight of the small space; so discolored and cramped.

I stood up from the stone curb of the S Block building. She had arrived, and not a moment too soon. “I just reach”, came her explanation. I stood up and we walked towards each other, two unknown people trying to meld together for the first time.

The Spanish teacher's monotonous voice was the only thing that could be heard in the frigid classroom. It was the third week of school and the classroom activities had changed from orientation-friendly that welcomed students back from the winter break to content-heavy. Arthur gave up listening half an hour ago, choosing to focus on his drawing of a butterfly instead of listening to the various conjugations.

Humid air, music and laughter filled the night as Clara Jene stood frozen, heart pounding. She was supposed to be enjoying her graduation trip with her best friends, Anna and Shae, in the irie city of Kingston, Jamaica. In the crowded beach party, she spotted someone she never expected—her father, Clarke.

Leaves drift down,

once crimson, gold, and amber-bright

now brittle husks, brown and ash.

Dear child, sweet child,

do not stare into mirrors

for your reflection is war.

My essence

is a cadaver lying

naked

beneath the searing sting of earth’s

scalpel

tearing through flesh

to get to my core.

For some people, Christmas is a time for gift-giving, hectic schedules, school free children frolicking amongst the toy stores and couples creating memories to close off the year. For me, this year, Christmas was about spending time with family, but with a twist.

Janae stood at the classroom door, nerves fluttering. It was her first day teaching at a new school. “Good morning, everyone,” she began, her voice steady but hands slightly trembling. “I have a special announcement. Today, we’re starting a project that I hope will be both fun and meaningful.”

The sky shone bright blue,

Clouds flowing freely in its depths. A family

of three sat nestled under a tree,

Their smile stretched

for miles, each of them unique

Ryan looks at me and my chest augments, my ribs splitting up and open, heart bared in gory invitation even after all of these years. I left her caterpillar body on the concrete steps of a school I wasn’t fully ready to leave.

Mr. P is found staring at the four corners of his cozy bedroom, the television, or the door. His eyes slowly turned towards the creak as he anticipated the face that would walk through that morning, as privacy was something he and his loving wife had given up out of necessity. “Good morning, Mr. P”, the nurse said. He gave her a smile as if he missed her.

The day was Monday, August 10, 2020. The time was sometime after 9am. My partner Sgt. 3506 Nesbitt and I were the last crew on the 8am- 4pm shift to leave Police Headquarters out on mobile patrol.