Losing Her Beauty
The sun bites our skin,
forcing us to Hellshire Beach;
while dodging potholes,
heads hang from windows, watching
receipts sweeping the streets like
leaves; balloons swaying like cherry
blossoms; tyres kicking bottles
to each other; plastic
bags flapping their wings towards
the coast. Back-flipping
boys and dads coddling
ice coolers, congesting the
shorelines. Parrotfish:
sand machines chowing algae
off coral reefs before its
netting; only to be fried,
steamed and plated. Before
dusk, we pile into our
cars; rain pouring on rooftops
like pelting rice grains
in saucepans. Gullies
gushing styrofoam, debris
and dolls, clogging drains;
rubbish stretching across streets;
entangling with engines.
James Bond Beach in the Wee Hours
Wetsuit grips me before roosters
stroll across my courtyard. Mini
bus transporting rolling eyes, yawns
and snores. Fishermen welcoming me,
scaling snapper and parrot fish, wet
nose mongrels sniffing around my ankles.
Morning breeze and icy water burning
nipples and toes. In the boat, feet slip
into fins; snorkels and goggles snuggling
forehead before diving in. Waves covering
me like duvets; no black lines, walls nor lanes
for guidance; blindly feeling for my teammate's
feet ahead. Choppy water scattering slowpokes
from the pack. Every freestyle stroke hauling the sun.
_______________
Courtney Conrad is a Jamaican poet. She is a current member of Malika's Poetry Kitchen. She is an alumna of the Obsidian Foundation Black Poets Retreat and Roundhouse Poetry Collective. Published in Bad Betty Press’ ‘Field Notes on Survival’ anthology, Birmingham Literary Journal, The White Review and The Lumiere Review. Shortlisted for The White Review Poet's Prize 2020 and Poetry London’s Mentoring Scheme and longlisted for the Rebecca Swift Women Poets’ Prize 2020.
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