Why, it fills up with liquid
It gets soft and squishy!
Then looks darker and pliable.
Finally, it sinks to the bottom
of the container.
(With great respect and admiration for Langston Hughes).
Halfway between
the middle
and
the end
is a feathered nest
that we
dream
is
heaven.
February, 2015
Please don’t
touch
my hair.
I know it
looks
like wool,
And you
want
To know how
If I comb
my locks.
But, please,
I’m not in
a
museum.
I don’t want to
touch
yours.
I know
that it feels
like embroidery
Thread.
January, 2016.
Dr. Joanne Dowdy completed her PhD in Literacy Studies at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. She combines her education in literacy with her theater degree from The Juilliard School to help teachers become more effective in the classroom. Dr. Dowdy’s primary research interests include documenting the experiences of Black women involved in education from adult basic literacy to higher education.
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