by Amara George Parker
stop trying
to fit yourself
into that cup,
you are an ocean.
ash-white carcasses
overflow your marrow.
elders
cloak your carbon and bone
in flesh filled
with hand-me-down seed,
and their stories —
swathes of pounding salted red —
mark every strike of
ancestral drum
listen.
the history of your body speaks
of mother wild
and father sun
Amara George Parker is a London-based writer. Their short story, Rafterland, appears in Mslexia’s Other Worlds issue, and their poetry has been published in literary magazines including Spoon Knife, Sufi Journal, and Earth Pathways diary.
As a queer disabled writer, they hope their work offers readers an inclusive perspective. When they’re not writing, they love being immersed in nature or listening to something sultry or funky. They’d love to chat to you about literature, drag, disability, paganism, and boats. Will read your tarot for a price. Follow them on Instagram @a_g_parker.
