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Hi everyone !  I am pleased to share with you this performance poetry by young and passionate poet. Loyce Gayo  was born in Tanzania and is currently pursuing a degree in African and African Diaspora Studies with a Minor in Mathematics at the University of Texas in Austin. Gayo’s time in the diaspora and her constant desire to go home has profoundly influenced her craft. Gayo was the Slam Champ of the UT Spitshine Poetry Slam team who won the 2014 College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational in Boulder Colorado.

HOW WE FORGET

We forgot we were worshiping beings,

We forgot you black Jesus

We forgot the king of kings

We forgot crowns do nothing or kings but put weight on their heads (and a target not their backs)

We forgot they put tax on our heads (and work on our backs)

We forgot Sodom and Gomorrah were levelled by brimstone and divine judgement,

But Mississippi is still standing,

We forgot burning cities,

We forgot cities are still burning

We forgot colors are seasonal,

And that this skin will fade too

I forgot my skin,

Or perhaps I just ran out of fucks to give.

We forgot some kid’s utopia,

Is a roof that won’t whisper in the night to the sleeping bodies below,

We forgot bodies sleep bellow,

We forgot bodies float, bodies hang,

We forgot Barbecue Postcards, Strange Fruit and hooded men.

I forgot rage.

And the pulse it leaves underneath my tongue

I forgot my tongue

And how it used to fit so perfectly in my purse next to my womanly duties.

I forgot my purse,

And my high heel stilts,

I forgot balancing is no longer an act,

When I am hiding behind imported hair,

A downloaded smile,

A painted on smile

A painted on face

And a voice trained to jump through hoos of flames to get you snaps and applause,

You don’t get it.

Shoot, you already forgot you woke up this morning,

You forgot to close the faucet when you were scrubbing that pot, that plate, that spoon or your left but cheek or whatever,

But you remember how that song goes right?

You remember how it went.

You remember you want your Grande Chai Latte with 3 Pump, Skim Milk

Lite Water, No Foam,

And served at 120 degrees.

You remember how spiritual of an experience it was

I forgot where I wrote this,

I forgot if I was just ranting,

Or if I forgot to close the faucet when I was scrubbing a pot or a plate ot a spoon or my tongue, or whatever

But I remember how this goes

I remember how spiritual of an experience this is

I forgot my heart is a burning city

Shoot, you already forgot , I forgot my tongue ,

Remember?

We forgot that some kids walk past their utopia every morning,

Suburban brinks stand in proclamation of what statistics say they will never truly attain.

We forgot some kids try so hard to forget tomorrow is coming,

We forgot there were kids in burning cities,

Smiling in barbecue postcards

Next to strange fruit and hooded men

Or perhaps we never had any fucks to give…

You know sometimes we forget how hard it is to remember.

Our challenge:  To response with Ms. Loyce Gayo’s poem How We Forget by either using the same title or starting your line with We forgot or I forgot…..   The list poem can be serious or you can make it light or even funny.  Another option is to use her line as a starting point for your own poetic interpretation.   Kindly give Loyce Gayo credit if you are inspired by her poem.   Please note that if you writing for this prompt, please indicate D’verse Poets Pub and link this write up in your post.

 If you’re new to dVerse, this is how to participate:

▪ Write a poem and post it to your site/blog.
▪ Enter a link to your poem and your name by clicking Mr Linky below.
▪ If you are promoting your work on social media, use the tag #dversepoets.
▪ Lastly, please visit others at their links and read their work.

Thank you all. Have fun!