MiLisa Coleman, Oakland, California, USA
There is clay under your toenails
From a morning of earthing
Cold still left on your soles
Quelling the sadness to come
With rosewater sips
Your face a blanket of uncertainty
As the sun recedes
You also retreat
I pause at the threshold of a decadent partition
I am enticed by the gentle coaxing of faint warbling
Emanating from behind the faded linen
A vestige of nature's perfume tickles my nose
Igniting empathy in my nerve endings
"Reclaim your color", I heard you sing
Transported into your hideaway
I wish to be reborn into this looming to keep you company
One with the process of growth like sown seeds tossed by billowing winds
Patient to witness
Your blossoming
MiLisa Coleman (they/them) is a poet, writer, and visual storyteller. They earned a Bachelor of Arts in Digital Media from Cleveland State University. Their work investigates the overlap in nature, imagination, and the human condition. Coleman has exhibited their work in solo exhibitions and group performances, and has worked in media production. They completed a writer-in-residence program through Twelve Literary Arts' Baldwin House Urban Writing Residency. Their first publication is in the forthcoming issue of Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora. They are currently based in Oakland, CA.