Poetry by Wendy Brown-Baez
Prerequisite
as if you could unravel yourself
back to the beginning before you knew
the patterns of flight
as if you were able to cartwheel your
way through daydreams
thrilled by your childhood grace
as if the kiss hadn’t started an unquenchable fire
and the heartbreak hadn’t been
etched with your name
as if your straw bag was filled with chocolaté
blended with chili, nestled on
Milagros, tasting of faith
as if you had claimed your voice before it was silenced
as if the passport hadn’t been lost and found,
and lost and renamed, your fingertips
stinging from wind and salt
as if you hadn’t felt innocence crack
and darkness fall over the world
as if you could earn back what you gave away—
soaring mountain vistas,
sunsets of blood, scent of the pines
as if he was holding you in his arms
instead of scattered as ash in three countries
and four states
as if your tongue was a flame and the past only a candle
as if there was a choice but to move
through the wilderness
kneeling at beauty
as if this poem could be more than a door
and more than a key
Art Information
- Untitled and “Skipping Down Kalisa Lane” © Breonny Lee; used by permission.
Wendy Brown-Baez is the author of the poetry books Ceremonies of the Spirit and Transparencies of Light. Her poetry and prose have appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies. Awarded the McKnight and Minnesota State Arts Board grant, she holds writing workshops for non-profits and youth in crisis. She also teaches as a member of the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop, as well as at Pathways and at Face to Face Academy.
For more information, visit Wendy Brown-Baez's website.
