I never wore bright colors
in my youth, too
big-boned and Black
to want to be seen I used
to find me in corners cracking
the backs of books
exploring other views
Hiding in oversized tees
no fancy for me please
Proper was for prettier girls or pews
Ugly ducklings prefer diminishing
But this swan aged, and grace
gave permission to spread my own spectrums, so I’d
Find my self-love hovering in brightness
pendulums painted in vibrance
swinging, savoring the sun
Now, my purple spirit has claimed itself
I’m feeling more myself
as yellow
Ray Jane is a Black female poet born in Brooklyn and raised in Far Rockaway Queens. She uses her poetry to lift herself and other women of color. Always aiming to strengthen her voice, Ray Jane has participated in poetic writing workshops focused on empowering women like “RoblesWrites Presents: Respite, Write, and Release™ amongst many others and served as contributing editor for the anthology Love Letters to Gaia (2021). She is published in Lalibreta.online an online poetry journal for Women in Creative Rebellion (2021) and I Can’t Breathe- A Social Justice Literary Magazine. She has also moderated her own workshops with ¡Oyé! Group’s “Poet’s Corner” (2021 and 2022) and hosts open mics such as The Nuyorican Poets Cafe’s Thursday Night Online Open mic (2022).You can hear more of how she uses her voice in over 50 recorded poems on SoundCloud (https://soundcloud.com/jay-ray-11), walking around NYC on the app Hear, Before https://www.hearbefore.nyc/; and on several podcasts including We Be Imagining/Black Siren Radio, and Sound Minds Podcast’s “Potent Women Wordsmiths”. For more visit ItsRayJane.com.
Snarl 