space, gravity & sea

i fasted and made me a mute,
calling forth god’s alchemy to
hide a trapdoor beneath your bed.

you sought me. or, let me seek you
and build us this home void of space,
reality and gravity,
and the secrets we give to them.

let me bring you the cape. the sea
sawing into the zinc i coaxed
beneath this house. it’s all bedroom
and tub because that’s all i know.

we never found time to consider
coffeeoreggsorbills; just how
good finally feels in mouths that
had to whispered during climax.

i refrained and gagged on silence,
and god made a trapdoor of these
poems. meet me at the cape, and
we will sink into our ether.

jamilla vandyke-bailey is a 28-year-old, pro-black feminist who uses her writing to provide a voice for silent traumas, and to hopefully create a sense of belonging amongst the misfits. She has had work published in Tasteful Rude, Hash Journal, Santa Clara Review, etc. Her collection of poetry, than we have been, was published by Weasel Press in the fall of 2021. Follow her on instagram @alli.maj