collection of haiku; wor(l)d
after Tonya M. Foster
Late afternoon sun
sings with pink shoes and knees bruised
in peppercorn trees.
Late afternoon, sun
reads shadowing lines, in her
stories made of trees.
The scent of mangoes
heals the summer air, threads stuck
between baby teeth.
Cents of Man, go &
steal her teddy bears, threads stuck
between adult teeth.
Juniper tree barks—
where we breathed in grasshoppers
& wasps; mud-stained hands.
Juniper tree barks
at her—as she consumed like
a hungry termite.
Types of clause learned,
spelling tests and crowded rooms.
No thoughts are shuttered.
Types of claws learned,
blood tests and empty chambers.
All thoughts are scattered.
Hair looms in dense braids,
with stringed jasmine finding its
way through the oiled strands.
Heirlooms in dense braids,
with diseased grief finding its
way though her white strands.
She's a girl, dreaming
all night, diffracting colours.
Who's afraid of want?
She's a girl dreaming.
All day, refracting colours—
who's afraid of want.
love, afifa



Girl wow this is so awesome Allahumabarik🤍🤍🤍
i love tanya foster i actually got to be on a zoom call with her last semester in one of my classes and got to see her read with nourbese philips, she is so awesome and your work inspired by her does her justice in my opinion 🥺❤️