THREE POEMS BY AMBER LLOYD
“hath no fury”
i do not want your false god
any more than I want your false promises.
what i desire is nothing more
than control over my own destiny.
is that so hard to give?
why is that so hard to give?
you call us uncivilized
and say we can’t think for ourselves.
how rich coming from fools
who mistake a devil for god.
you believe we need guiding,
you believe we need educating
i can think fine, thank you
you just don’t like what’s in here.
my mind speaks what you call sin,
my mind speaks what i call justice.
the line between revenge and what is “just”
only thins with vile creatures like you.
you will never break my soul,
but i swear to break every last part of you.
“Adoration”
Too many words spring to mind
when I see her.
Beautiful, kind, funny, brave.
Ours is love that devours me whole,
and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I love her in her entirety
Her enchanting laugh, a prettier sound
than the wind chimes that hang from our porch.
Her soft lips, sweeter than any candy
when she presses them against mine.
Her gorgeous eyes, brighter than the stars
as she explores the world around her.
I love the way my name rolls off her tongue,
how she speaks it like no else does,
like no one else could.
She says it likes she’s the only one allowed to,
and she might as well be.
I’ve loved her since we were young,
satisfied just being in each other’s presence.
I’ve loved her even when we were apart,
our chosen careers leading us down different paths
but our devotion only more resilient because of it.
I’ve loved her through jealous rage and immature spats,
because fear of losing one another holds as strong as our love.
As you close your eyes for the last time, know
that while everything else in our lives might change,
my feelings for you never will.
I love you, my dear,
and I’ll be with you again soon.
“unchained”
i live in a kingdom of desolation,
where food is scarce and children die every day
the gods ignore our pleas,
but i refuse to have my spirit broken
(i will know freedom even if it kills me.)
as she lay dying in my arms,
i made a vow to her
to break the chains that dig deep into my skin,
to never let another decide my fate
(i will keep my promises, mother.)
i do not long for hope
and i do not long for a savior.
it is me alone
who will write my deliverance.
(i shall become all i need to be.)
i will become my light,
my own god to look to when i am lost
i will end this life of brutality.
i will demolish this prison known as reality.
Amber Lloyd
is a bisexual Black girl who likes the EM dash a little too much. Writing has always been something she’s enjoyed, but it wasn’t until she grew older that she realized it’s her passion. An avid gamer, it’s her dream to one day turn her story ideas into video games. Amber is an undergraduate at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, studying Creative Writing.
Cover photo by Thais Morais on Unsplash
