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    Stripes & Polka Dots
    Stripes & Polka Dots
    Stripes & Polka Dots
    Ebook92 pages38 minutes

    Stripes & Polka Dots

    By Staniella Othello

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    About this ebook

    Stripes & Polka Dots is in many ways an open letter about culture, heritage, and personal evolution. It is a poetic culmination of grit, humor, self-discovery and contains a daring transparency. It is a challenge to speak ones truth; to be bold instead of being boxed in by the expectations of others.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAuthorHouse
    Release dateMay 24, 2017
    ISBN9781524693879
    Stripes & Polka Dots
    Author

    Staniella Othello

    Staniella Othello is a poet, writer, mother, navy veteran, and wife, although not necessarily in that order. She fancies herself an actor and is currently attempting to master the role of being human. Stripes & Polka Dots is her debut collection of poetry.

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      Book preview

      Stripes & Polka Dots - Staniella Othello

      © 2017 Staniella Othello. All rights reserved.

      No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

      Published by AuthorHouse 05/25/2017

      ISBN: 978-1-5246-9388-6 (sc)

      ISBN: 978-1-5246-9387-9 (e)

      Library of Congress Control Number: 2017908379

      Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

      and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

      Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      Contents

      Crenglish

      Westview

      Seat Fillers

      Escape Routes

      What Reeves Taught Me

      Appropriation

      Lost Girls

      Anxious Creature

      Fear & Carnage

      Ayiti Cherie

      Never Been Loved

      Hands

      Midnight

      False Alarms

      Mama’s Superstitions

      Warm & Deep

      Affection

      Inherent Patterns

      Band-Aids

      Manman’m Te Di / My Mother Said

      Fear of Abandonment

      Pep Mwen

      Stereotypical

      Transracial

      Chasing Dragons

      Heartbreak Kid

      Insecure

      Rider

      Collide With Me

      Dashes, Hyphens, & Minuses

      Rhythm

      Calls

      Grieve

      Love Him Like…

      Joy

      Ode to Andre

      Words…

      If Walls Could Talk

      Energy (A Poem for Morales)

      Call Center Resources

      Thank you

      Unfair Trades

      Preamble

      I am learning to live unapologetically.

      I can boldly speak my truths.

      I don’t have to fear my darker parts.

      I own my weaknesses.

      I own my strengths.

      I don’t have to make myself small.

      I don’t have to make myself big.

      I don’t have to make myself fit

      or occupy spaces I don’t want to.

      I can just be: however & whatever that means.

      —Staniella

      Crenglish

      We gesticulate when we tell stories.

      Smiles wide, we speak using our whole bodies

      We laugh loudly and yes,

      sometimes it sounds like we’re arguing but we’re not.

      We wear polka dots and stripes

      and you cannot tell us that we’re not fre.

      I mean fresh.

      Nou toujou bien abiye,

      Well-dressed rocking Zoe man sandals.

      Nou pap kite entranje yo di nou ke nou pap sove

      paske survival is in our DNA.

      Those strangers know nothing about us,

      how dare they say we can’t be saved?

      Nou se moun fò;

      we are a strong people.

      We are bold.

      We are hustlers.

      We are proud.

      We may not have mastered the English language

      but we’ve mastered heart.

      We will put tout bagay on de line

      pou yon chans for de better lye-eef—Life.

      We take chances at it.

      We put everything on the line

      to make something out of the nothing we came with.

      Béniswa Leténél.

      Blessed is the Lord,

      our tongues know the language

      of praise and worship.

      We are the melting pot;

      the spirit of Independence.

      The heart of Freedom;

      We are the rebellion,

      Haters can never stop us,

      lènmi nou pa ka sispann nou.

      Nap etidye tout sa nou bezwen

      pou nou ka akonpli rèv Ameriken sa.

      We will study everything we need

      to accomplish the American dream.

      Grace a dieu.

      Nou pa bezwen pale angle tankou ekspè,

      we don’t have to be experts at English,

      we jes need to talkin’ angle klè enuf.

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