Here’s our July installment of “Bushwick Bohemia Beat Poetry” curated by Bushwick-born poet, Emanuel Xavier. The series features poems by Bushwick residents. This month’s poem comes from Allicia Lawson.
My Creation
I change
I bend and shift myself
I spend hours thinking of who I need to be for you
How I can mold myself
I beat myself into putty
With words
With thoughts
Make myself pliable
Ready for construction
I break myself down to build back up
Into a perfect home for you to live
It’s not shelter enough
There’s a leak
A gust of air breaks in
My breath shakes it
Knocks at the door
Rattles the window
And just like that
The home I built crumbles
Never sturdy enough to weather the storm
Allicia Lawson is a Massachusetts born Bushwick living lady. She’s been in the city for 10 years which officially makes her a “real” New Yorker. She started out writing music but has now transitioned into poems and her heart couldn’t be happier.
Bushwick’s celebrated poet Emanuel Xavier curates this monthly feature exclusively for Bushwick Daily featuring a poem by a local Bushwick resident and/or native. 2-3 poems (10 pages max) can be submitted to [email protected] with the subject “Bushwick Bohemia Beat Poetry Submission” by July 15.
Poems should be attached as Word documents, 10 point, Times New Roman font, double spaced and set up as they should appear on the site if selected. Poems can be about anything (not exclusive to Bushwick) but contributors must currently live within the Bushwick area or have been born and/or raised in the neighborhood.
Please include a brief 3-5 sentence bio and your personal relation to Bushwick with your current mailing address for verification. If submitting previously published work, please include appropriate publication credits. Only if one of your poems is selected for online publication will you receive an email.
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Cover image courtesy of Alex Jones