Here’s our August 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 Colombian born poet Danilo Machado.
Work in Progress: Residential
By Danilo Machado
another luxury apartment building punches the skyline, asserts its
Belonging, sanctified by city permits
and out-bid contracts
(we’re surrounded)
unimagined color schemes, holy stainless steel and multiple locks for
approved residents who care about locally sourced produce and coffee
as if they’re locals
(most of us aren’t locals)
still, we’ve renewed the lease to orange doors and aluminum and our purple-painted room
and amenities, becoming displacers
(regardless of the ways we’ve been displaced)
Danilo Machado is a poet born in Medellin, Colombia and living in Brooklyn. His critical and creative writing has been featured in ArtCritical, The Advocate, Long River Review, among other publications. In Brooklyn, he has read as part of the series Big Words, Etc. at 61 Local, and Queer Abstract at Starr Bar.
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 AUGUST 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.
Follow Bushwick Daily on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Cover image courtesy of Ennio Dybeli