Immersed with vermin, tinted paint,
Pissy hallways, waste in the backyard,
and constant surveillance
Is not natural
Debating to leave 20 miles out of your
neighborhood for groceries
To buy unripe or dying
produce at the bodega
Is not natural
Avoiding certain routes due to dreadful anxiety
Identify a firearm by the age of ten
Understanding death so much
It becomes an idle thought
Is not natural
Wondering what a body of water feels like or
Having uncertainties about fresh soil under your heels
And even doubting how trees smell because it is
Limited due to concentrate and bricks
Is not natural
They Created These Environments
And Try To Convince Us That
The Unnatural Is the Natural
Author Bio:
Fanta, called IJF is a multi-hyphenated being. As a first-generation Guinean-American, Fanta’s writing is tailored to her experiences as a Black millennial in the Western world and capturing those moments with words.