The Corpse is a found poem based off of the Metamorphosis.
Taking Root: The Girls Write Now 2022 Anthology
Perhaps you’ve seen a mangrove. These saltwater-loving trees grow thickly along the coastlines of South Florida. They edge the shores in heavy clumps; they huddle in meandering rows. The roots will catch your eye first: a rich reddish brown color, they grow out of the brackish water like creeping fingers. As a child, I thought the roots were trying to wrench themselves from the sediment—that the mangrove was a tree desperately seeking other waters.
What I didn’t know then was that the mangrove had adapted to thrive there. Between twice-a-day tides, the stilt-like roots pull oxygen from the air. The sediment that collects beneath the roots builds the shoreline, and a vibrant community of plants and animals live on or below the roots. Even the leaves are gifted. Two holes on each pump out the excess salt; it covers the waxy green leaves like crystals.
The young writers of the Taking Root: The Girls Write Now 2022 Anthology remind me of those red mangroves and their hardy, branching roots. Like the tree, they flourish at the borders, but theirs straddles the prickly border between youth and adulthood. In waters friendly or inhospitable, these writers persevere: always creating, always building, expanding. Through their words they interrogate the world we take for granted, and in their wonderings, propose new Earths to inhabit.
Here’s to those brave, beautiful writers, and the works that will take them near and far. Deeply rooted in who they are, their words are the salt crystals that adorn the leaves.
—MORAYO FALEYIMU
Explore Mentee Stories from 'Taking Root'
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The Corpse
I Like the Look of Freedom on You
“I Like the Look of Freedom on You” is a fictional piece that examines the intergenerational relationship between a great-grandmother and her great-granddaughter.
Where Love Grows
A glimpse of how my best friend and grandfather molded me into the woman I am today as we bond in our backyard garden filled with a cornucopia of vegetables and a sense of community.
Tongue-Tied
The feeling of having an ocean of ideas at the tip of your tongue, watching each one disappear once you open your mouth.
GUARDIANS OF THE SPIRITUAL GIFT
The fantasy land of Catrossau, Oseka in 434 BD tells the story of travelers struggling to survive making their living by killing demons. This tells the story of an unlikely group of people working together.
Adonis
Fusing intricate, yet gritty imagery and allusions to Greek mythology, “Adonis” is a reimagining of beauty as a birthright and burden of the first-gen gifted American kid as they reclaim their narrative with humanity.
One very long day
A journey of acceptance and yearning.
My Hometown
What is your hometown? A place where you return back to with joy and feel comfort from. My poem will remind you of all the little elements that help us create our hometown.
oysters & ceviche
i am suffocated in it.
Felicity’s Guide to Falling In Love and Not Getting Murdered
Felicity Quinton never would have thought babysitting her sister’s children would result in a wild goose chase around New York City. But, life is full of surprises (tall, dark, and handsome surprises).
Death Follows
Bex Foster has a secret: she can hear the voices of her dead parents. How will her friendships and relationships be altered by this secret?
the stars in disarray
When you meet someone over a writing platform and fate encourages you to share your socials to get closer, the relationship does not become as fruitful as you want it to be.
Subway Creep
An evocative piece of flash fiction meant to draw the reader into the author’s encounter with a so-called subway creep.
my dog spoke hebrew and it felt profound
The relationship between two deaths.
Learning to linger
That moment when you have to go but want to stay—so you decide you really don’t have to go at all.