“The firmament withdrew” by Marria Khan
She asks what mark I will make,
proceeds to show me each of hers,
her tattoos made from broken window,
beauty marks made by knuckles.
I ask her if she knows how to love
a woman with scars? She looks confused
I lift up my shirt, explain accepting
that everyone possesses pairs of pain.
I redress. This is no physical encounter,
tell her I intend to make the unseen mark.
~ Deonte Osayande
Deonte Osayande is a graduate student at the University of Detroit Mercy. He has been published in numerous publications including Curbside Splendor, Requiem Magazine and Emerge Literary Journal. He has won numerous awards and distinctions, including the Dudley Randall Poetry Contest twice, and has been a presenter of poetry across the US and Canada.
