Moriah's Blog

a saturday
betwixt the chin-high grass
hot enough to scald a lizard
beneath the mason dixon
a single home in a field of trailers
the big house
we dancing
the floorboards creak
the howl of a billion souls unfree
the record spins
the beat repeats
you still away,
steal away
heavenward
where your grands’ grands will belong to no one
’cept themselves
steal away to own your own body
what is it about learning you have a body that makes
    having a body so damn complicated?
joy is an impossible thing to remember
to forget
to know yourself as your own, but still a descendant of theft
joy to be free in vain
as a result of someone else’s captivity
two black women
egos the top rung of a ladder
trapped in the body of a ditch
but we wobble
atop a warehouse of stolen caskets
the dance floor shimmys back
                                                    sayin’ g’head girl, this joy is yours

---

Roya Marsh’s poem “in broad dayliGht black descendants look gall” is a poem focused on the Black identity, historical trauma, and trying to find joy while still feeling the effects of oppression and slavery. Marsh uses vivid imagery, repetition, and symbolism throughout the the poem. The poem looks into the complexity of African Americans’ inherited history, but also celebrates the resilience of African Americans over time. This poem acknowledges the dark past, but also looks to the present and says how the descendants have a right to joy.

The poem starts with the setting: “a saturday / betwixt the chin-high grass / hot enough to scald a lizard / beneath the mason dixon.” These opening lines put the reader in the South with some historical context with the addition of the “mason dixon.” The mention of the Mason-Dixon line indicates that the poem will talk about the legacy of slavery and its impact on African Americans. By using this setting, Marsh is putting the reader in the past where its not history yet, but those events are currently happening. One of the most important lines of the poem is “what is it about learning you have a body that makes / having a body so damn complicated?” This line shows the paradox of African Americans where having control of their own bodies should’ve been liberating but it comes with the weight of a history where Black people were enslaved and controlled. Marsh’s use of diction here is blunt and this makes the reader confront the tension African Americans felt between self-ownership and generational trauma.

The structure of the poem is fluid and uses lots of enjambment. The constant use of enjambment mimics the continuous flow of history that Black people have to deal with and dance movements that are talked about in other parts of the poem. There are also caesuras where the poem stops in the middle of a line. For example, “to know yourself as your own, but still a descendant of theft.” This line connects back to the idea earlier that Black people are facing a conflicting paradox where they are free and have control of their own lives but feel the weight of their ancestors history. Marsh also uses juxtaposition. The imagery of two Black women dancing “atop a warehouse of stolen caskets” is a pretty stark contrast because it basically saying that joy exists over the foundation of death and loss. The caskets symbolize the millions of lives lost to slavery and systemic oppression, but life is continuing above the caskets.

Another significant part of the poem is the use of time. Marsh uses both historical and contemporary moments and this furthers the idea that the past remains present in the lives of Black people. The “big house” is a reminder of slavery, while music and dance are things that Black people find joy in can also be seen as acts of cultural survival. These layers in the poem emphasize how the struggle for self-ownership is ongoing at the same time as Black people are trying to celebrate the lives they have. The final line says, “sayin’ g’head girl, this joy is yours.” This seems like an affirmation for Black people in today’s times. Despite the weight of history, joy is something that can’t be stolen from someone. This line also seems like an act of resistance towards those who are trying to take away the joy and a declaration of independence and control over their own bodies. 

Through “in broad dayliGht black descendants look gall,” Marsh explores the complexity of joy when it is connected to a dark legacy of loss and struggle. This poem gives recognition to the past while not letting the past control the present. This poem is a reminder that even in a world built on the backs of stolen lives, black joy remains strong and unshakeable.

1.

Through the night   

the apples

outside my window   

one by one let go   

their branches and   

drop to the lawn.

I can’t see, but hear

the stem-snap, the plummet

through leaves, then

the final thump against the ground.

Sometimes two   

at once, or one   

right after another.

During long moments of silence

I wait

and wonder about the bruised bodies,   

the terror of diving through air, and   

think I’ll go tomorrow

to find the newly fallen, but they

all look alike lying there

dewsoaked, disappearing before me.

2.

I lie beneath my window listening   

to the sound of apples dropping in

the yard, a syncopated code I long to know,

which continues even as I sleep, and dream I know

the meaning of what I hear, each dull   

thud of unseen apple-

body, the earth   

falling to earth

once and forever, over   

and over.

---

Li-Young Lee’s “Falling: The Code” explores the seemingly simple act of apples falling from a tree to reveal life’s temporariness, using sensory imagery and sound to look into themes of existence, mortality, and the interconnectedness of all things. The poem is divided into two parts, and each offers a slightly different perspective on the apples’ fall. The speaker is lying under their window and is listening to the rhythm of apples falling from their branches, hitting the ground, and wondering about the meaning behind this ordinary occurrence. The contrast between the external event of the apples falling and the internal introspection of the deeper meaning establishes a tension that drives the poem’s deeper reflection.

The title, “Falling: The Code,” suggests that the act of falling carries a hidden meaning, a kind of “code” that the speaker is determined to understand. This sense of mystery adds a supernatural dimension to the poem, connecting the natural process of apples falling to broader questions about life and death. The speaker describes the apples’ fall as a “syncopated code,” filling it with rhythmic significance that feels almost musical in its repetition. One of the most striking lines, “the earth / falling to earth,” captures the cyclical nature of life. It brings to mind the inevitability of life’s progression toward death and what comes after, reminding readers that all living things ultimately return to the ground, only to give rise to new life in a perpetual cycle.

Lee enhances the poem’s vibrancy through a variety of poetic techniques that deepen its emotional and intellectual impact. Anaphora, as seen in phrases like “I wait / and wonder,” creates a rhythmic flow that mirrors both the speaker’s thoughts and the repetitive motion of falling apples. This rhythm evokes a sense of inevitability, drawing the reader into the natural cadence of the poem. Additionally, Lee uses personification to breathe life into the apples, describing them as experiencing “terror” during their fall. By assigning human emotions to the apples, the poet blurs the line between the natural and the human, making the apples a metaphor for human life and its vulnerabilities. The interaction between enjambment and end-stopped lines further enhances the poem’s dynamic sense of movement and reflection. For example, enjambed lines like “and think I’ll go tomorrow / to find the newly fallen” suggest continuity and anticipation, while end-stopped lines such as “I lie beneath my window listening” provide moments of stillness, encouraging reflection.

The poem’s structure also plays a crucial role in conveying its themes. Its indented lines and division into two distinct stanzas reflect the shift in focus from external observation of the falling apples to internal reflection on the deeper meaning. In the first stanza, the sensory experience of the apples falling is vividly captured through auditory and visual imagery, such as “stem-snap” and “the plummet / through leaves.” This creates a tangible, almost cinematic depiction of the event. The second stanza looks into the speaker’s introspective thoughts, as they seek to uncover the meaning behind this natural rhythm. The shift in tone and focus encourages the reader to consider not only the physical act of falling but also its symbolic implications.

Ultimately, “Falling: The Code” serves as a profound reflection on the search for meaning in everyday occurrences. By connecting together auditory and visual imagery, structural choices, and poetic techniques, Li-Young Lee allows the readers to consider the rhythms of the world and the deeper truths they may contain. The poem reminds us that even life’s simplest moments can hold extraordinary significance, urging us to remain attentive to the beauty and wisdom inherent in the natural world. Through this, “Falling: The Code” becomes a call to find meaning in the ordinary and to embrace the interconnected cycles of life and death with humility and wonder.

A reading  from the book of  Willie Maxwell 679:1738

…    then Rap Gawd formed a man

from the dust of the auto-tune

&breathed into his nostrils

the breath of Rémy Martin

the man became Fetty Wap.

Rap Gawd saw fit to

make Fetty a counterpart.

so he caused the man to fall into a deep sleep;

while he was sleeping

he took one of the man’s eyes

then closed up the place with flesh.

then the Rap Gawd made a woman

from the eye he had taken out of the man.

the creation story of Fetty

the first trap rapper to make a song

I might play at my wedding.

there’s a choir of church mothers

smiling down on the brown boy

that sings of a woman’s worth

in a culture destined to nullify it.

do you know how long

sisters been waiting

for a brother

to willingly let us hit the bando?

(after patiently explaining what the fuck that means.)

l’union fait la force

your music emblematic of the motto of Haiti

unity makes strength

as we scream SQUAAADDDD!

the weight of that bass

hits hard

like Gawd’s tears

landing on glow in the dark floors

’cause Gawd does not just “cry”

He makes it rain

on a crowd of women

in heels higher than most GPAs

dancing their way through

nursing school

&out of some deadbeat’s

roach-filled 1 bedroom.

the fellas

big brother

arm-wrapped shoulders

singing off-key

about Ki’s &pies

and other shit

they have no real idea about.

the only song in the club

that allows a hetero male

to gaze into the eyes

of another

[suspected] hetero male

and/or stranger

singing his fucking heart out.

make him more mathematician

than murderer

spewing lyrics repping

the urban district’s finest cognac

this

is a black man’s

“Sweet Caroline”

oh, oh, oh!

Fetty, you got me —

I, too, see heaven

peering through

the pearly-gated smile

of that gap-toothed princess

in your video.

I, too, have a glock in my rari —

in the form of a master’s degree

but don’t get it twisted

this summa cum laude bloaw

anytime a motherfucker think

they know me!

&my trap look a lot

like a dimly-lit cafe

with semicold

red stripes

a microphone

a couple judges

but I’ll be damned

if anyone tell me

I ain’t a queen of this shit.

&then I blink

&the bass subsides

&the song fades

into another brother

caring more

about his golden grill

than making the best

of a family business.

&she picks up her ass

her purse

slides off the pole

disappears

into a mixture

of low-budget smoke machines

&catcalling men

wedding bands tangled

in the drawstring of their sweats

&another Saturday twerks

itself into the crisp breeze of Sunday morning

&the church mothers glance over the room

covered in government-issued confetti

&Gawd smiles

as they bellow in unison

“I want you to be mine again!”

---

Roya Marsh’s “Ode to Fetty Wap” uses biblical allusions, commentary of culture, and humor to explore the power of music, survival, and the Black identity. Marsh uses a celebratory and irreverent tone to make Fetty Wap’s work seem like it is something profound, and this portrays him as a mythical figure and symbol of cultural unity.

Marsh uses her personal admiration with her critiques of society, and this creates a voice that sounds reflective and rooted in her lived experiences. In this poem, Marsh reimagines Fetty Wap’s music and art as a divine act, and this emphasizes his cultural significance from the lines like “Rap Gawd formed a man / from the dust of the auto-tune.” This line suggests his artistry and music is as monumental as it is unconventional. By choosing the speaker as both a participant and observer of the Black culture and community, the poem easily moves between celebrating and critiquing the culture. For example, it juxtaposes the resiliency of women in the strip club with the struggles they face like when they are supposed to  “dance their way through / nursing school &out of some deadbeat’s / roach-filled 1 bedroom.” The title of the poem foreshadows the poem’s playful yet reflective tone, and this draws on the tradition of odes as praise, which in this poem is directed to Fetty Wap. The enjambed lines in the poem mimic the rhythm of music. The irregular stanza breaks remind me of the pace of trap music and some music that can be played in clubs. The structure of the poem echoes the constant shifts in tone from divine “exaltation” to sobering reality, and this reflects the duality of joy and struggle,

The line, “do you know how long / sisters been waiting / for a brother / to willingly let us hit the bando?” captures the frustration and coping humor in women’s navigation of a male-dominated culture. Marsh critiques the lack of diversity and inclusivity while celebrating the rare moments of unity Fetty Wap’s music provides for listeners. This dual perspective repeats later in the poem, as seen in the lines “the only song in the club / that allows a hetero male / to gaze into the eyes / of another…singing his fucking heart out.” This recurrence highlights music’s ability and capacity to breakdown or dissolve rigid gender norms in society. Marsh uses biblical allusions and irony to reimagine creation as a humorous origin story of Fetty Wap and his art. Using those techniques, combined with a metaphor, in these lines ““the weight of that bass / hits hard / like Gawd’s tears,” makes the club seems like a more divine space, and she does this by using both the sacred and the secular. Marsh’s diction, which is raw but still poetic, underscores the dualities shown in the poem by using the juxtaposition of “heels higher than most GPAs” against the image of “government-issued confetti.” Also, by using profanity in the poem, it shows her frustration with the current gender norms and standards in society, but she doesn’t let that effect her too much because she can feel the impact of how music unites people.

I find Marsh’s poem relatable as I have seen how music unites people across identities and struggles. Her portrayal of the strip club as a space of survival and transcendence at the same time resonates because it shows how marginalized communities can find joy and empowerment in unlikely places.The poem “Ode to Fetty Wap” is a celebration of culture and resiliency, and unites the sacred and every day occurrences in a way that underscores the power of music to uplift and connect people in communities. Marsh’s playful yet moving style honors more than Fetty Wap as it truly honors the broader experiences, hardships, and triumphs of the Black community. 

By Roya Marsh

cups, plates, scattered
spaghetti massacre on laps.
all the restaurant alert
&this ga’damn tv
sayin’ WE lost!

white girls vanish
the whole world grit they teeth,
but a black girl’s disappearance
warrants city wide curfews;
a second silencing
60 black girls ghost      //
in the nation’s capital
&my phone never rang about it!

64,000 in the world
&Lady Gaga ain’t sanging bout it.
whole world a stop motion.
freeze frame.
stand still.

just that final gust of wind
that kills the candle.
*shiiiiit, WE already dead.

ain’t no “epidemic”
of people being snatched.
it’s a rite of passage.
every gentrified brick is
another brown future
collapsed into rubble !

no one told the Black girl
“see you later” was a prayer
begging us survive our own erasure.

they finna celebrate our absence
with silence. no sense
in giving white media the right to speak
for us

ain’t no siren
news segment
no forest fire
or biblical flood
coming to make us anew

if nothing has tried to kill you
you have failed
bullet be to black body
like our body be nothing at all
ain’t no video of our maim & murder
cameras couldn’t capture our kidnapping
our mama’s tucking in a phantom
at night
an invisible vigil
a memorial
for the girl
the world has already forgotten

we gotta be our own
saviors
I’m fighting for you
got my eyes & ears peeled
knuckles bare & bloody
hoarse
you ain’t gonna never be alone
long as my heart
got rhythm

!scream!
!exist!
go Jesus in the temple on em’

let them hear our battle cry
let’s crash this
private lynching
let loose our noosed neck
leave the gawking crowd
astounded
when black girls
rise from the dust
they make of us

ALERT
Dashaan
I’m crying your name
Relisha
Alert
Taylor
I’m looking for you
Dayana
even if no one else is
Talisha
call back
Morgan
come back
Jacqueline
Robin
Aniya
ALERT  OLUWATOYIN
ALERT OLUWATOYIN
ALERT  OLUWATOYIN
ALERT
ALERT
ALERT
________________

yeah, i flipped a table once
fucked they whole shit up//
and i’d do it again
if that’s what it takes for y’all
to see us

---

Roya Marsh’s poem “i flipped a table once” is a powerful argument against the erasure of Black girls and women. The poem talks about the lack of media attention and public outrage when Black girls and women go missing by comparing it with the intense searches that happens when white girls disappear. The poem shows the racial inequities in how society values life and issues calls to action, demanding justice, and visibility for those who have been forgotten. The speaker in this poem is passionate, frustrated, and angry throughout the entire poem. The spark expresses deep concern for missing Black girls and the personal pain of invisibility, and it seems like they are coming from a place of lived experiences. The speaker is a Black woman who could’ve experienced the trauma of neglect that made her feel unworthy. The speaker uses direct and unfiltered language nad tone, and this shows they are fed up and want to take a drastic action to draw attention to this injustice. 

The title, “i flipped a table once”, acts as the starting point into the poem’s anger and passion. The speaker flipping a table is a literal expression of her outrage, but it also shows her refusal to remain a bystander in a society that continues to ignore the disappearance of Black girls. By “flipping the table”, the speaker disrupts the norm and is making it almost impossible for others to ignore them. This metaphor extends throughout the poem, and this suggests that flipping a table is the first step in changing the system that erases Black girls and women. One of the most significant lines in the poem is “no one told the Black girl / ‘see you later was a prayer / begging us to survive our own erasure.” These lines go straight to the poem’s theme of survival against the odds. The everyday phrase “see you later” takes on a deeper meaning when applied to Balck girls who could be erased, whether that is through violence or disappearance. The use of the word “prayer” adds a spiritual and religious layer to the need to survive. It seems like the “prayer” is hoping that Black girls will return home safely is an act of faith since the world often forgets them.

Marsh uses several poetic techniques to emphasize the angry and frustration in the poem. Anaphora which is the repetition of words or phrases, is used most notably when the speaker repeats “ALERT” near the end of the poem. This is like the emergency notifications and it is direct call for awareness, and it underscores the urgency of the message that Black girls are missing and no is paying attention and looking for them. In the line “every gentrified brick is / another brown future / collapsed into rubble” a metaphor is used. This metaphor links gentrification with the destruction of Black futures, which continues the focus on the harm caused by systemic inequalities. Marsh’s diction is raw and (blank) with words like “fucked,” “shiiiiit,” and “gawking crowd” and this emphasizes her anger and frustration with the situation. These diction choices increase the intensity and make the reader feel the urgency that the speaker has about missing Black girls. The poem also goes into the historical violence against Black people when using phrases like “second silencing” and “private lynching” while putting it in current context. 

In conclusion, Roya Marsh’s “i flipped a table once” is a critique of how society neglects Black women and girls. By using powerful language, metaphors, and a complex structure, Marsh mourns the missing but also draws attention and awareness to the problem. This leaves the reader with her sense of urgency and demand for justice.

Bronx, New York native, Roya Marsh is a nationally recognized poet, performer, educator, and activist. She is the author of dayliGht (MCDxFSG, 2020) and works feverishly toward LGBTQIA+ justice and dismantling white supremacy. Roya is the co-founder of the Bronx Poet Laureate initiative, a PEN America Emerging Voices Mentor, 2021 faculty with Lambda Literary’s Writer’s Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ+ Voices, and the awardee of the 2021 Lotus Foundation Prize for poetry. 

Roya’s work has been featured in numerous places including, The Academy of American Poets, Poetry Magazine, the Village Voice, Nylon Magazine, Huffington Post, The Root, Button Poetry, Carnegie Hall, The Apollo Theater, Lexus Verses and Flow, NBC, BET and The BreakBeat Poets Vol 2: Black Girl Magic(Haymarket 2018).

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