“kombucha,” a Poem by LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs

From the Collection Village

February 9, 2023  By LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs
0


at first, pacifier/less. a thumb offers most. the heart tremors among
the first beating. in Paris, i bathed w/ naked women
wrinkled & tart. the heavy postwar memory of fossilized sinks. who
hides beneath mosaic & tadelakt chipped? i am here to love me. cursed
haunch & dimpled bottom. scrub me spoiled w/ loofah till their
arms tire. my skin, a bright pink cashew refuted by the hearts
of sons. am i, the only lonely, in this hammam cast out?
commandments & confirmations. haven’t we all been soured?
honor thy father, mother, thy suitor, lover, thy wedded; themselves
foolish. foolish me w/ dreams. somehow the movers were never
booked. bellies never swollen pearls. in former lives i was all brides.

_________________________________

Village

From Village by LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs, available from Coffee House Press




LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs
LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs
A writer, vocalist and performance/sound artist, LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs is the author of TwERK (Belladonna, 2013). Diggs has presented and performed at California Institute of the Arts, El Museo del Barrio, The Museum of Modern Art, and Walker Art Center and at festivals including: Explore the North Festival, Leeuwarden, Netherlands; Hekayeh Festival, Abu Dhabi; International Poetry Festival of Copenhagen; Ocean Space, Venice; International Poetry Festival of Romania; Question of Will, Slovakia; Poesiefestival, Berlin; and the 2015 Venice Biennale. As an independent curator, artistic director, and producer, Diggs has presented events for BAMCafé, Black Rock Coalition, El Museo del Barrio, The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, and the David Rubenstein Atrium. Diggs has received a 2020 George A. and Eliza Gardner Howard Foundation Fellowship, a 2020 C.D. Wright Award for Poetry from the Foundation of Contemporary Art, a Whiting Award (2016) and a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship (2015), as well as grants and fellowships from Cave Canem, Creative Capital, New York Foundation for the Arts, and the U.S.-Japan Friendship Commission, among others. She lives in Harlem and teaches part-time at Brooklyn College and Stetson University.








More Story
Jack Parlett on the Sentient Allure of Fire Island In this episode, Book Dreams producer and guest host Gianfranco Lentini takes us on a journey to a real-life literary paradise—a...

Become a Lit Hub Supporting Member: Because Books Matter

For the past decade, Literary Hub has brought you the best of the book world for free—no paywall. But our future relies on you. In return for a donation, you’ll get an ad-free reading experience, exclusive editors’ picks, book giveaways, and our coveted Joan Didion Lit Hub tote bag. Most importantly, you’ll keep independent book coverage alive and thriving on the internet.

x