"I used to be a roller coaster girl" by jessica Care moore

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend April 4, 2019   I used to be a roller coaster girl   jessica Care moore

(for Ntozake Shange)   I used to be a roller coaster girl 7 times in a row No vertigo in these skinny legs My lipstick bubblegum pink                          As my panther 10 speed.   never kissed   Nappy pigtails, no-brand gym shoes White lined yellow short-shorts   Scratched up legs pedaling past borders of humus and baba ganoush Masjids and liquor stores City chicken, pepperoni bread and superman ice cream                                      Cones.   Yellow black blending with bits of Arabic Islam and Catholicism.   My daddy was Jesus My mother was quiet Jayne Kennedy was worshipped by my brother Mark   I don't remember having my own bed before 12. Me and my sister Lisa                                shared.   Sometimes all three Moore girls slept in the Queen.   You grow up so close never close enough.   I used to be a roller coaster girl Wild child full of flowers and ideas Useless crushes on       polish boys in a school full of       white girls.   Future black swan singing Zeppelin, U2 and Rick Springfield   Hoping to be Jessie's Girl   I could outrun my brothers and Everybody else to that   reoccurring line   I used to be a roller coaster girl Till you told me I was moving too fast Said my rush made your head spin My laughter hurt your ears   A scream of happiness A whisper of freedom Pouring out my armpits Sweating up my neck   You were always the scared one I kept my eyes open for the entire trip Right before the drop I would brace myself And let that force push my head back into   That hard iron seat   My arms nearly fell off a few times Still, I kept running back to the line  When I was done Same way I kept running back to you   I used to be a roller coaster girl I wasn't scared of mountains or falling  Hell, I looked forward to flying and dropping Off this earth and coming back to life   every once in a while   I found some peace in being out of control allowing my blood to race through my veins for 180 seconds   I earned my sometime nicotine pull I buy my own damn drinks & the ocean Still calls my name when it feels my toes Near its shore.   I still love roller coasters & you grew up to be Afraid of all girls who cld                                            ride   Fearlessly   like me.            Copyright © 2019 by jessica Care moore. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on April 4, 2019, by the Academy of American Poets. About This Poem   "Last summer I had the opportunity to spend some time with Ntozake Shange in Miami. I have always felt a kinship with this remarkable poet and playwright. I told her at breakfast, 'I used to be a rollercoaster girl' and we laughed and spoke about being poets and women inspired by love, but always curious, fearless girls beneath it all." —jessica Care moore   jessica Care moore is the author of several poetry collections, including We Want Our Bodies Back, forthcoming from HarperCollins, The Alphabet Verses The Ghetto (Moore Black Press, 2003), and The Words Don't Fit in My Mouth (Moore Black Press, 1997). A Knights Arts grant recipient and the founder of Moore Black Press, she lives in Detroit. Photo Credit: Kennette Lamar Poetry by moore   Sunlight Through Bullet Holes (Moore Black Press, 2014) "Dear Ruth" by Emily Skaja "The Soul selects her own Society" by Emily Dickinson from "Fast Speaking Woman, Part 1" by Anne Waldman April Guest Editor: Tracy K. Smith   Thanks to Tracy K. Smith, poet laureate of the United States and author of Wade in the Water (Graywolf Press, 2019), who curated Poem-a-Day for this month's weekdays. Read a Q&A with Smith about her curatorial approach this month and find out more about 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

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