Tuesday, April 2, 2024

April 2nd in the wee hours

 3 am 


Thinking about the Independent Lens seen on PBS.... that made me cry with the sudden arrow to the heart of understanding, like how is this our world... But is it wonderful this awfulness, the hippies becoming millionaires and hiring poor Mexicans who leave their beloveds to make money that buys cows and food and clothes for their daughters who mourn their missing daddy. And i thought of that insane longin to have my father home from work how we learn is a thing he must do so that we eat. As mother had to do it too - leave us, they had to leave us and all we wanted was them nearby to see what we create, what we made up and it is all desperate because there wasn't enough time, and though they mdae time, stillthey had to leave.

I remember resenting going to relatives house for a holiday because i wanted my parents all to myself, or us, even though i had to share. i remember wanting to parent my parents, buy them presents and experiences, keep them with me.... so wild for one who couldn't wait to leave home. But i always wanted them. So seeing these workers and their families longing made me remember, awakened the child who saw clearly her longing and the way of the world, how even then she wished for a way to help them who worked so hard and loved so hard.....


Saying GoodBye to Daddy


He goes because we need food and clothes

and by this sacrifice and duty he shows

how much he loves us

years away when he wont see

all the ways we change, from on to three

and then to nine because something

about inconsistently dilating time

he will return younger than me

when I arrive at 43, but in between

we ate and grieved the living death

of he who made me

who can watch by farview all we do

transmitted with varying delays

at one point weeks, or years or days

as tech improve such is life of a child

of a technoslave extraterrestrially deployed

returning younger than the kids he made

amazed at the freedoms they've enjoyed

the hearth and home his sacrifice made.


Akua Lezli Hope




National Poetry Month 2024 Begins

Laopoet Bryan Thao Worra, asked what folks are doing for NaPoWriMo.

I will post a new poem each week on The Poetry Line:  607.622.0414

I bought several poetry books
HydraMedusa
The FullMoon Whaling Chronicles (specpo novel) includes teenage werewolves sailing to a fabled sea monsters nest,
Black Observatory 
and one other to read this month. 

I will write a poem a day.

I aim to read 2 poetry books a week for Elgin nominating.
 
I updated and mailed list of speculative poetry readings to be hosted this year. 

I started working on speculative readings to be hosted in 2025 -- sent email requests to 5 poets.

I started the Specpo Booklist at https://bit.ly/specpo_bib. 

Working on an image for the speculative disability poetry reading in July:




Thursday, April 6, 2023

From my Mask Series

 From my Mask Series.







#napowrimo #nationalpoetrymonth #akualezlihope #akuapoet #akuapoetry #speculativepoetry #afrofuturism #midjourney #blackwomanai #blackwomanpoetry #blackwomanpoet

From My WIFE series

I love the idea of ents (tree like beings) and love having this speculative element to my wife series.


 #speculativepoetry #naporimo #nationalpoetrymonth #akualezlihope #akuapoet

GIRL

 




My speculative fiction short story, in the new anthology For those Who Dare to Dream, is about black girl magic in Queens, NY, my homage to my homegirls. This microacrostic and the AI's response to it, reminded me of The Four ( the story's title).


#napowrimo #akualezlihope #nationalpoetrymonth



Wednesday, April 5, 2023

Child, come see

 The Poetry Vending Machine is decorated with a flower garland designed by me for it and with poetry magnet words. This is yesterday's lyric adorning the chute flap. 



#napowrimo
 #nationalpoetrymonth #akualezlihope #poetry #poetryvendingmachine #thepoetryvendingmachineproject


Sunday, April 2, 2023

AFTER THOUGHT

Loved the prompt for today, these are the answers to the word questions re arranged.


 afterthought 

a shredding veil
hat cups  

pregnant absence

earth blood dripping
dry pungence

tape measure is a 

change agent
this blue sneeze

full belly lugging light