North Star
I watched the three easy simple steps of a video, put ruler on silver paper, drew what looked like a starfish, but it wasn't a star. Golden star stickers were placed on children's notebooks and even given for good behavior. The day grew long, traced back to a memory of an aunt known as étoile. Her silver hair was said to be braided in star light. The children in La Gonave wished to be chosen to have their hair braided by her. She parted their hair in the middle from front to back. Each braid shimmered with coconut oil. It was the scent of the stars brushing tips of ears, foreheads, nape of necks.
Jan / Feb 2024
Jerrice J. Baptiste is a poet and author of eight books. Her poetry has been published and is forthcoming in Artemis Journal, Urthona: Buddhism & Art, Pensive: A Global Journal of Spirituality & The Arts, The Yale Review, Mantis, The Dewdrop, The Banyan Review, Kosmos Journal, Jerry Jazz Musician and elsewhere. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize by Jerry Jazz Musician for 2024 and as Best of The Net for 2022 by Blue Stem. Her poetry and collaborative songwriting are featured on the Grammy award nominated album, Many Hands: Family Music for Haiti.
Art: Donna Morello, Collage