Two Poems by Ophelia Knight

I Ain't No Motherfucking JOKE or Whatever Eric B. & Rakim Said:

My stepfather used to drink himself blue

   always leaving the door open      to allow in

consistent riff raff

       I used to come home and cook and 

clean

    beer or white powder snorted through

goatee cover nose

   I would convert the noise into

hip hop form

      lick the tips of my fingers and smear

   demands on the walls

to let him know I was watching

    learning how to laugh because I must be a comedian

no one laughs if it is not deep rooted

I used to prance, turning my sadness into

    dance in an uncoordinated frenzy

   became stiff with age

       discovered my voice and set every device to

the quiet storm

  waited until he could not fight back to stand on the edge 

      of his grave and shout

I ain’t no joke

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IF SHE COULD DANCE WITH MY FATHER AGAIN (I pray for her even more than me)

In the womb / I felt the vibrations of my mother and father / moving their bodies to soft RnB hits / my mother’s body a cocoon / my fathers arms / breakable shields of copper / with her tears his flesh turned / money green / in the safety of her belly / there formed miniature layers of / translucent bargaining morphing into / his image / where gentle hands once rubbed / growing stem / stretch marks became permanent / shadows of loss / if I could / I would offer up the / silliest parts of myself /to be wrapped back up / inside of my mother’s warmth / in the shade of my father’s arms / for just one chance to hear him say my mother’s name in that way that I have / longed for and never received / finger paint his name on the inside of her rib cage / and let them be /absorb the nutrients of my mother’s love / if I could / I would hallow out my father’s grave with my own existence / so that my mother could / dance with my father / again

Ophelia Knight is a new and aspiring poet with a deep passion for exploring the intersections of nature, human emotion, and societal issues through her evocative and thought-provoking poetry. Her two most recent works were featured in Orpheus Magazine (2023) and Sigma Tau Delta Annual Round Table (2019). As Ophelia continues to write and share her work, drawing inspiration from both the natural world and the cultural landscapes around her; she aims to inspire and connect with readers through her lyrical and introspective writing.