Illegal

Illegal

Illegal

The word resonates through my ears
Through my core

Illegal

Don’t you know?

Your existence here is illegal

But I have never committed a crime

Illegal

Is the blood that runs through my veins illegal?

Is the breath that I breathe illegal?

The same breath that I sing melodies to the Almighty with, is my song illegal?

Illegal

Words from my brain find a paper and poetry falls on them

Ideas

Theologies

Questions

Are my words illegal?

Illegal

I spent a morning cooking

My mami never made me sit next to her while she cooked

How did I know what to do?
The spices filled the air

And if you know the trick, onions won’t make you cry

I served the meal

And we savored friendship and hope

Is this illegal too?

Like a tattoo in invisible ink

The word carved in my body

For 18 years

on my arms, my legs, my hands, my hair

Illegal

Have all my dreams been illegal?

Should I even exist if this is what you think of me?

Beloved

Beloved

Beloved

He screams from a Cross

I believed Him once

And in the crowd, someone said

Illegal

Not loud enough

Illegal, again

And Spirit says,
Beloved

But how do you erase the word that’s carved into your existence?

Undoing

And aren’t you glad from the dirt we are made?

So I’ll fall apart until beloved are my words, beloved are my dreams, beloved is my friendship, beloved is my breath, beloved is my love, and beloved is my soul.

Amen.