Poem

Rachel Long

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OPEN

Vanmorgen zei ze
dat ik slaap met mijn mond open
en mijn handen in mijn haar.
Ik zeg, Zoals schreeuwen, bedoel je, Mam?
Ze zegt, Nee, kindje, zoals verlaten.

OPEN

This morning she told me
I sleep with my mouth open
and my hands in my hair.
I say, What, Mum, like screaming?
She says, No, baby, like abandon.

Rachel Long

(United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1988)

This morning he told me

I sleep with my mouth open
and my hands in my hair.
I say, What, like screaming?
He says, No, like abandon.

British poet Rachel Long's poems are so razor-sharp and witty that they stand out from the first line. Long is also founder of the Octavia Collective for Womxn of Colour (a 'community-minded' collective where women of color can safely (lear...