2 Poems

Collage by Manvir.

i miss you mama

a tooth in my mouth is fallen
it is bending
there seems to be nothing i can do about it

i said, a tooth in my mouth is fallen.

 if my grandmother did not die that tooth would be standing
if my grandfather was alive that tooth would dare not bend
if my siblings were here that tooth would have been laughed back into its rightful position
if. if. if.

my mother. where is my mother
mama. mama. mama.
where are you
a tooth in my mouth is fallen and there seems to be nothing i can do about it

mama. my tooth is fallen
what should i do mama
when it rains heavy i feel helpless
when the sun shines too hot i feel cold
when darkness settles i become wicked
when. when. when.

 i get enough money to bury my homelessness
i will lift the tooth back up by remembering you.
mama.

mummy’s call is final

i hear a lot of voices but none belong to my mother
i do not hear my mother's voice
the day i catch my mother's breath circling my ears
i will dance in response
to die the final death

if you hear me say my mother is calling please undress me
bathe me in oil
lay me down by the riverside
i am dying the final death
answering a finite prayer
opening the door to my martyr's knock
gathering my burdens

 and no no no i will not be back
this race—human is over
over over over to you dear mother
please undress me
mama why are you silent
silent silent silent mama like your death
abandoning me mama. silent.

 i hear a lot of voices but i long for my mother's voice
to gather my burdens
i may have to die a final death. ◆

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Sloane Angelou is a storyteller & writer of West African origin; passionate about learning of human existence by interrogating human experiences. They exist in liminal spaces.