The Book of Genesis by Morgan Parker

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend May 6, 2015   The Book of Genesis   Morgan Parker

Once I was: lone brown spot in a garden of upright stems They said what do you have to say let your dry lips open let cocoa powder rain onto our desks they stared at me for six days as if I were a peach pit as if by lunchtime I would be swallowed into the sandbox like a dream     They led me to a sink made me wash my hands in cold oil I was a temple angels are watching over they chanted until I never slept my eyes turned purple with guilt and imagination they never let me eat the stale body or fill my ribs with bitter juice they led me to an apple tree I swear to God told me to sit and wait until my earrings got heavy and I could see right through the whole damn city these days I think I can find truth in song as if it started inside me these days I think a powdered rock could save us cold oils of a stranger’s tongue and I sleep with my hands in little fists tucked close to my chin this is the way my people have slept for years O garden of soiled light I believe in different reasons            Copyright © 2015 by Morgan Parker. Used with permission of the author. About This Poem   “In writing this poem I was interested in coopting the idea of a biblical origin story and utilizing biblical imagery to tell a personal narrative about childhood and becoming self-aware. This is a poem not so much about the genesis of a self or a people, but about the genesis of understanding one’s difference, one’s relationship to others, and one’s allowances and restrictions.” —Morgan Parker   Morgan Parker is the author of Other People’s Comfort Keeps Me Up at Night (Switchback Books, 2015). She teaches at Columbia University and lives in Brooklyn. Most Recent Book by Parker   Other People’s Comfort Keeps Me Up at Night (Switchback Books, 2015) "from 'Origin'" by Samantha Giles "Birth" by Tina Chang "Mirrors" by Tada Chimako Poem-a-Day   Launched during National Poetry Month in 2006, Poem-a-Day features new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on weekdays and classic poems on weekends. Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.   You are receiving this e-mail because you elected to subscribe to our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click here.   © Academy of American Poets 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038