reservation for the moon

one night she got her large suitcase
out from under her bed
then went onto her laptop
she looked into a one-way ticket
for the next new moon & booked the trip
her flight wasn’t for another few days
so she took that time to say her goodbyes
to the world that she wouldn’t miss
she wondered what it would be like up there
would other black women join her?
so they could recollect on what it was like
to lose their innocence so early
due to society hypersexualizing black girls
we don’t get ‘handle with care’ labels
we get viewed as women before we are adults

By Vanessa Maki

Biography:

Vanessa Maki is a writer (& other things) who is queer & full of black girl magic. She’s been published in Enclave, Faded Out, Rag Queen Periodical, Occulum, Five:2:One Magazine, SYS, horny poetry review, sublet press, Entropy, Susan/The Journal & is forthcoming in Sorority Mansion among others. She is founder/editor of yell/shout/scream & rose quartz journal. Twitter: ahumantornado.