If America were a night sky
with a sidereal population
people of color would be
glow-in-the-dark stars
picked one-by-one
off a child’s bedroom ceiling
each death a supernova
that scorches paint and plaster
covered and concealed immediately
by white privilege.
Because when bullets are born
they are not named
yet America baptizes them
in innocent blood
#BlackLivesMatter swept away
like a glitter and glue Milky Way
as the sun rises over
constellations of lost accountability.
Sarena Tien is a queer Chinese American feminist who is currently a PhD candidate in French Literature at Cornell University. Once upon a time, she used to be so shy that two teachers once argued whether she was a “low talker” or “no talker,” but she’s since learned how to scream. Her poetry and prose have appeared in publications such as The Rumpus, Bustle, The Feminist Wire, Decoded Pride, and Sylvia.
Snarl 