—for AM Mariam
Your thick thighs. Your full waist.
Your bright eyes. Your round face.—
That you walk around the streets,
Unashamed of the penetrating eyes,
Unafraid of words that hit hard as punch
In the face, and straight, through
The basement of the soul—
Are nothing but the true bodement
Of being big, beautiful, and bold
Like everything else that is
Big, beautiful, and bold.
EL Kamaal is a Nigerian poet and writer. His work has appeared or forthcoming in Hominum Journal, Clover and White, Global Poemic, Lumiere Review, Wend Poetry, Giallo Lit, Cultural Weekly, and elsewhere. He was shortlisted for the 2020 Alpine Fellowship Academic Writing Prize.
Twitter: @ellipziz
Instagram: @ellipzizs