Liz Femi
Image by Mary Taylor from Pexels
Liz Femi is a Nigerian-American actor and writer. A 2022 recipient of Writeability’s Right to Write scholarship award and an NAACP Theater award nominee, Liz Femi’s work has been published by The Harvard African and featured in performances at Rogue Machine Theatre’s Rant and Rave. She also mentors middle school and high school students in world literature., and others; several have been nominated for The Pushcart and Best of the Net.
Summer Flight on a Golden Shovel
after Gwendolyn Brooks
Flying into summer, we
perm our hair just like the box says but real
life won’t lay it low. We wear hand-me-downs angry but cool
when days stretch longer than polyester as we
hop skip hop skip
over that track thisaint school,
as we
hopskip hopscotch to the bodega for blue ice, the attendant lurk-
ing near the Muscle Milk, asking if our mamas be home late.
Slinging two o’ clock beef, we
feign paternity tests, strik-
ing the air when the host declares “you.are.the.father” straight
up as we gloat weeeeeeeeeeeeee,
straight up before commercials sing
law firm jingles. And for your sin,
deadbeat, we
death grip your thin-
ing left hand while your right still clasps the gin.
Belting top 40s, we
mock Uncle Neighbor’s sleepy jazz
tell him to wake up it’s June.
Flying through summer, we
snowball into one mighty rock. No we won’t die.
Not soon.
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