This piece was first published in Quarto’s 2021 Spring Print Edition.
Illustration by Rawan Hayat
content warnings for strong language and death
Inspired by Beauty Examined (1993), Kerry James Marshall
Since you tore my flesh piece by piece,
Can you put me back together?
Mesh backbone to my dignity
And hands to my modesty
After you’ve stripped me bare
And opened my cunt for the whole
World to see,
After I'm already dead,
After you've already killed me,
After you picked and prodded at
My voluptuous ass, unaging skin,
Plump lips and everything else you found
Savage to your naked eyes.
Eyes that saw my village as a chess board
Carved in the shape of savannah
And treated my brethren like pawns.
You, dear white knight
Should die.
Crystal Foretia (she/her/hers) is a junior in Columbia College studying Political Science and History. Born and raised just outside of D.C., Crystal is the daughter of Cameroonian immigrants. You can find her chapbook Notes from an Estranged Daughter, a collage of anecdotes and contemplations on Black history, in Quarto Magazine. You can also find links to all her published poetry via her Linktree: https://linktr.ee/cforetia