Say hello to your Artist-Practitioner

A publication created by Naomi Hurley, dedicated to showcasing the works of women, PoC, & the LGBTQIA community in arts, activism, & attitude.

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I shed the scales

that were engrained into my

genetic integrity, so they drop

off my skin

one by one.

From the bones that built

this sanctuary of a body

shelter from the storm,

to the break of a nail

whole, I become.

Within a flame of the 

ancestors who brought me here,

I break down my doubt

I demolish my fear

good riddance, my threshold.

Only I will, swiftly and alone

surpass each gateway, 

outward from here

this chest pounds courage

into my capillaries, threefold.

By virtue of knowing what 

spot is tender on this skull, I hone 

its sensitivity, an Achilles Heel

to a hum of heart-space

giving guidance by tone.

Saying “Listen in the cold, 

for it is

your Mother.

Sip in the boiling sun, 

for it is

your Father.” 

I follow suit.

In the presence of extremities,

when my wounds are wet 

and faintly dripping

I hear an earthen child calling,

their embrace an honor.

She has chosen her guardian

to be the one who fought for

what’s lashed and plagued her,

taking the whip

instead turning it against

the predator.

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-ets

This poem is self-published, & soon to be available on a downloadable manuscript. Note: Train River Publishing utilized this working in the first edition of their initial Anthology under unethical practices, I do not endorse them nor Amazon.

Cat Party #5 

Featured in Cat Party #5, a “lost & found” style installment curated by Katie Haegele. 

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