Hannah's Elegy
Alexandria Valentine
O, Hannah, hung like an ornament
before a peculiar garden of eyes
is there any sorrow like this sorrow?
a dark child made spectacle?
our Blackness is a stone in the throat of men
our Blackness is our inheritance
Hannah, fly away on wings of mercy
you are going where children shine golden
yes, you are going to a place
where the light is forever
What do men know of justice?
neck bent like a twig
no tenderness
a throat of weeds
men who eat their own eyes
Hannah, they eat their own eyes
their mouths are wicked briars
you are going to a place
where there is no sorrow
forever
Alexandria Valentine - is southern-of-center writer and editor based in Chicago. They hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an Emphasis in Creative Writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the Columbia University School of the Arts, where they were awarded the 2019 Felipe De Alba Fellowship. An alum of the Kenyon Review and Tin House workshops, Valentine’s work has appeared in South 85 Journal and Arkana Magazine.