Beautiful

By Walidah Imarisha

You
My ex partner
My sometimes lover
My always love
Are beautiful

I am in the midst of death
But that is just the way
Amerika
Smells
On a hot texas day

And I have to write this
Because I want to honor
A warrior
with the face of a child
if death row
can’t slice up a sacred heart
then I
have a lot of blood
to start pumping

touched my face
with willow tree hands
and said
look
a butterfly
just landed on your left cheek
it flew
out of your eye
don’t blink

Hold tight

solace

There are no third chances
with courts or compas

sanctuary

trust me
I trusted you
I know how ugly/beautiful you are
I have seen your scars
I have kissed all of your scars

Even our scars/stars
Are beautiful

And we
None of us
Not a one

We
will not be
Washed away