a lantern- a beacon, 2025

A Lantern- A Beacon is composed of the original poems entitled “My Love, How I’ll Miss You” and “When I’m Taken From This World”. During this time of imminent danger to Queer People of Color, I catch myself slipping into anxious episodes of grief; imagining myself dying at the hands of another. This pattern is essentially me giving in to the fear and killing myself before anyone lays a hand on me- a preemptive surrender of life. I have to remind myself that I am safe, beautiful, and that nothing has happened to me yet. This conversation between the living and dead versions of the same being illustrate that inner conflict.