after writing
my life
i edit
my atmosphere
rearrange reality and her spaces
to save words
to harness the power of breath
to remove unneeded pieces
a curator of live audio visual
life decor
i cut entire sections
months and years as stanzas
simply deleted
like old acquaintances
shoes with irreparable holes
underwear elastic worn out
i find it difficult
to throw away memories
nostalgia its own intoxication
all a sore soul has
when cold and sober
recounting poor decisions
a backspace is much easier than
forgiveness
moving on is much easier said
when never done
i’m still here
trying to moonwalk love
back to what it was
while appearing to step ahead
progress my favorite illusion
poetry my best magic
life never a poem
always poetic and
too strong
for drinking
Published by JBT
Born in Washington, DC and raised in Crofton, Maryland, Jonathan B. Tucker (JBT) is a writer, performer, educator, DJ, and dreamer passionate about poetry, youth empowerment, racial and social justice, and finding purpose through service to others. He has received numerous awards and artist fellowships, and has performed and taught at schools, libraries, detention centers, museums, and conferences around the world. His poems have appeared in Howard University’s Amistad Journal alongside the late Amiri Baraka (Howard University, 2011), in Etan Thomas’s anthology Voices of the Future (Haymarket Books, 2012), in two self-published chapbooks (jonathan b. tucker, 2010; and i got the matches, 2012), and on the stages of the Kennedy Center and the South African State Theatre. JBT represented DC at the National Poetry Slam in 2009 and 2010, and has helped coordinate and coach the DC Youth Slam Team with Split This Rock since 2011.
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