Here’s a filmed performance of the only new thing I’ve written while at home during this pandemic. Thanks to We the Women Collective for accepting my submission for A Digital Wake. Special big googly eyed thanks to Real Clothes (aka Nico Fox) for being open to last minute collaboration on creating a custom loop of music for this project. A description of the motivation for this piece is below. Enjoy! Stay home and do art.

About This Poem

Livid Lineage was written April 3, 2020 during the rise of Covid cases in NYC. It is an exploration of issues I often grapple with within the new context of this pandemic. Mainly, how generational trauma informs the present/future lives of Black people and how internalized narratives of gender destiny further complicate that. Dark humor is a salve; I staged my performance to be as low-fi and personal as possible within my apt’s hallway. I wanted to obscure the fact that I was reading from my phone by making it the only source of light. I draped myself in a soft black cape because drama. I duplicated the ending shot to mimic the current mood of an endless daily routine. I sent the poem to Nico Fox who performs under the name Real Clothes. I love her music, it’s dark and dreamy. She created a custom loop of music and named it “Blood of My Troubles”, after a line in my poem. It was nice to collaborate virtually and I hope this poem resonates with you all!