The apartment is gravely positioned down a stretch of road littered with trash on both sides. On any given night it would not be safe to walk alone. Weeds have overgrown with a wilderness that mimics the very people that lived there. The apartment buildings exhibit an exhausted appearance of a woman once pretty but... Continue Reading →
Our Blackness
My blackness made you uncomfortable even as melanin percolated deep inside you. A melanin so skin deep I was sure you came from the same Georgia sun that had kissed me so passionately. My blackness made you awkward. My blackness extended deeper than your ability to comprehend. A deepness that ruled generations. My blackness forced... Continue Reading →
Hell of a Maze – My Plan Not My Purpose (part 5)
my body is so weak, fragile and broken that I did not have the strength to go through the door
Cannot…
Photo by Tanya Graham © 2016 All words & images by Tanya Graham unless otherwise noted.
Mist of the Rubble
Standing up in the mist of the rubble has proven difficult for most. Many of us have taken up refuge in the middle of the rough edges and broken pieces of friendships, marriages, communities, dreams, and success. We have been trapped in what seems like the bottom of a building collapsed by the instability of... Continue Reading →
Living in the Wrong Paradise (part 3)
Today July 8th, I craved peace but peace did not come. My truth was filled with visions, feelings, and hopes that were as dark as the night on a back country road in the deepest woods of Georgia. This darkness that reminded me of the late night nightmares that haunted my spirit and soul could... Continue Reading →
I love taking pictures of beautiful places and things. This one is a beautiful church in Atlanta GA. I used this picture for this particular poem because we often attend places of worship to bring balance to the turmoil that churns inside us. © 2016 All words & images by Tanya Graham unless otherwise noted.
Mystifying
Love is not enough to conquer the demons that lurk in the innermost dwelling of your bones. It has surpassed the soul & spirit. It does not move freely in your heart & mind. It has hardened & calcified in the bones. It is thick & unmovable. Days filled with laughter & smiles of those... Continue Reading →
Hot Summer Days of Georgia Became a Curse to Me
The hot summer days of Georgia had a special way of piercing my skin with a darkness that made most black folks uncomfortable. I was a beautiful sun-kissed child that loved playing outside; but somehow, this love and longing to enjoy the beautiful rays of the sun and the smell of the fresh grass and... Continue Reading →