Jacquelyn Grant Brown
For Black Mothers Who Can’t Consider Sleep Cuz the World
Still Ain’t Safe Enuf
Her son makes it
home safely
after the late shift
only to find her there again,
twisted deep
into the contour
her body has carved permanently
into the right corner
cushion of the couch
from a ritual of waiting
up for him. Before
the bright orange of morning
can come calling on her
dusky lights from the den’s
TV dance over
the tiniest creases
in her face, telling details
of an angst-filled and laborious
life. She wars with
her eyelids every late night
until he arrives,
slides the remote control
from loosely fastened fingers,
turns off the TV, the lights
and then
Originally published in MER 19.
Jacquelyn Grant Brown (She/Her) is a black multidisciplinary artist working in poetry, mixed media art and jewelry. She has earned a BS and MA degree in English and Creative writing respectively. Jacquelyn’s literary work can be found in Raising Mothers, The Rumpus, Rat’s Ass Review, African American Review and others. Recurring themes in her work center around family, parenting, trauma/ healing and the underrepresentation of the varied African American experience in the arts.