EXHIBITIONS
Written word from the “It Shouldn’t Be Revolutionary “ Show by K’Shana Hall
We Are Daughters Too
Oh, but we are daughters too
We are:
To be cared for
To be looked after
To be adored
To be loved
To be looked forward too
To be soothed
To be rested
To be made room for
To be comforted
To be understood
To be fed
To be exalted
To be the embodiment of pure joy
To be prepared for
To be missed
To be held
To be heard and listened to
To be excited about
To be considered
To be protected
To be adorned and pampered
To be given space to feel all the things
To be given space to learn and dream
To be allowed the same if not more grace
To be prayed for
All of that
And even more
We are daughters too
Stay
I wonder what would happen if I stayed here
Not as in lived, but remained here
Like really be here
Let everything dissolve and just be
Here
I just feel like I deserve that right
Yeah, I do
The effortless dissolution of me
Right on into the night
I should have brought my damned tooth brush
What Else Was I Supposed to Do?
These hands
This mind
Always in overtime
Working enough for two
This heart
This soul
Stretched thin
Enough healing for you and you too
What else was I supposed to do?
Scarcity and survival in the air
Primal reflexes activated
Never stopping
I wouldn’t dare
They all want something from me
And they want it right now
And I wasn’t raised to let them down
Wasn’t raised to struggle
Wasn’t raised to fail
Wasn’t raised to suffer
Or taught to be lackluster
What else was I supposed to do,
but pretend?
With this soul so fucking thin
The Freedom of Refusal
I refuse to fill the quiet spaces
I won’t straighten the slightly crooked
No minor adjustments from these hands
No subtle tweaks to your plans
No “you know what would be great?” From these lips
Head tilted
Arms akimbo
hands on hips
Nope.
I quit.
Squares
They say keep those squares out your circle
But what if you’re blind?
How will you see the hands that take
The hands that are only pseudo-kind
Determined to see curves where edges should be
So surprised when I get that sting
The kind only a jagged corner can bring
Genuinely
Repeatedly
Acts laced with silent disgust
Offerings dripping in Kelly green jealousy
To be fair corners are technically ‘round
Just around
Around to know and gain
Around to compare
Around to reap benefits and spoils
Around to ball up your feelings like used tin foil
Around to pat shoulders with a “there there”
As if those corners weren’t the cause
of all the tightly wound aluminum balls
Angles are genderless
They have no face
No assigned color
And no set race
But either way squares are only ‘round if I keep them there
Only round If I remain determined to see curves where I know
damn well edges should be
