it’s palm sunday
a moveable feast
that has been moved
inside
minus the palms
minus the hands
minus the peace
and I speak only in these fragmented psalms
but my palms ache to touch you
bring my fingers to bless your cheekbones
sweep your eyes with supple thumbs
cradle your neck and pull you
into me
our passion play
I lay myself down at your holy feet
bend my fronds under your weight
lazarus me with your kiss
the lines of my hands
shape words into worlds
that want to blend with yours
fortune tell a sense of longing and loss
and we are islands of want
around the world
palms are empty
in waiting
in desperation
in quiet prayered plea
we scrub and scrub
soaping the hope
we will not become casualty
and lately this theme pervades all my poetry
these hours days weeks months in solitary
–
Kai Coggin is a widely published poet and author of three full-length collections: PERISCOPE HEART, WINGSPAN, and INCANDESCENT. She is a queer woman of color who thinks Black lives matter, a teaching artist in poetry with the Arkansas Arts Council, and host of the longest running consecutive weekly open mic series in the country—Wednesday Night Poetry. Recently awarded the 2021 Governor’s Arts Award and named “Best Poet in Arkansas” by the Arkansas Times, Coggin is associate editor at The Rise Up Review. She lives with her wife and their two adorable dogs in Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas.