"19th Birthday in Paris" by Gabrielle Civil

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend November 29, 2018   19th Birthday in Paris   Gabrielle Civil

The crown of it was fire: a stolen wish, this city of bridges valving the heart, ancient and scarred, tongues of stone, this haughty sister, matronly and jeweled, who straightened her skirts, looked me down in the eye. Girl, are you sure you're ready to rise? Question mark of candles, waiting for breath. This vision, a pistil of wavery bloom, a man before me, the first refused: a bite off our plates, an outdoor café, the privilege to witness him, fierce and poor, thrust forth his heart, douse his body with oil, purse his lips and blow out tongues of flame. Utterance of desire and gasoline, a presage of future, some of it mine. In the distance, iron stippled with light.            Copyright © 2018 Gabrielle Civil. Used with permission of the author. About This Poem   "What does it mean to be a worldly black woman? Drawn from my own experience studying in France years ago, '19th Birthday in Paris' engages race, travel, privilege, identity, and desire. The poem features a black girl coming of age in a foreign city, marveling and wondering about her future. The last image of 'iron stippled with light' evokes the Eiffel Tower. It also foretells hardship, strength, and beauty: what it might mean to be a black woman in the world." —Gabrielle Civil   Gabrielle Civil is the author of the performance art memoirs Swallow the Fish (2017) and Experiments in Joy (2019), both published by Civil Coping Mechanisms. Originally from Detroit, Michigan, she teaches creative writing and critical studies at the California Institute of the Arts and lives in Glendale, California. Photo Credit: Dennie Eagleson Poetry by Civil   Swallow the Fish (Civil Coping Mechanisms, 2017) "Cento Between the Ending and the End" by Cameron Awkward-Rich "In the Company of Women" by January Gill O'Neil "Roman Poem Number Thirteen" by June Jordan November Guest Editor: Don Mee Choi   Thanks to Don Mee Choi, author of Hardly War (Wave Books, 2016), who curated Poem-a-Day for this month's weekdays. Read more about Choi and our guest editors for the year. 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