Pour

Every woman needs a reservoir
A space deep within herself
no one can enter
We being female and comfortable in our holy
should know the direct route to tunnel ourselves
down deep within ourselves
to bring forth the light
to illuminate our way through
this long toothed greedy life
There is an art to keeping
the pilot light lit in a woman’s belly
Heavy tongued gossip mongers
are attracted to our light
like clipped winged flying moths
We must do whatwe must do to turn away
from this unforgiving thief
If we are not careful
light unattended
surrenders to shadows
What is a shadow
but the about face inverse opposite
of our brightness of being
Let us take the time
remind ourselves
to ourselves
to pour sunshine
from the dawn's early light
into our spirits
The newness of the day
is waiting for us

—
Janel Cloyd is a Poet, Writer and Essayist. She has been awarded a Willow Arts Alliance Residency with history concentration in the Weeksville African American Cultural Arts Center.  She has been awarded Fellowships from VONA, Dream Yard and the Watering Hole. Publications include: The Black Lives Have Always Mattered Anthology edited by Abiodun Oyewole of the Last Poets, Mujeres, The Magic, The Movement, & The Muse Anthology.   The Yellow Chair, Poeming Pigeon and Cave Canem Digital, Gathering Round, Peregrine Journal, About Place Journal, Acentos Review, Emotive Fruition and Stone Coast Review.   Cloyd is a mixed media artist with a concentration in collage, paper arts, fiber, poetry, text, and images.  Her work explores and embraces the themes of womanhood, spirituality, and the body aesthetic. 

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