Bacteria  

Someone told me
that all life
evolved from
an organism
with a single
cell.

I told them
that racism
is mutating
and will lock us
back into
one.

Gerridae (self portrait, part 5)

 I’m here to honor all parts of myself:

The man who is scared of death
but romanticizes heaven,

the warrior who would kill for his daughter
then stays up all night spooked by shadows,

the fire-driven miracle seeker
who pretends to rise above everything,

the hot mess.

The punk rocker,

the full-grown gentleman who cries
when watching Star Wars cartoons.

A descendent of sassafras drinkers.
Of collards, cabbage, and black eyed peas
in Orangeburg, South Carolina. 

I’m here to honor every version of myself:

The teenager too embarrassed
to tell friends he writes poetry,

the sour adult who is proud
that his muse has the confidence of honey,

the polymath and the
adrenaline avalanche of youth, 

the body that is well on its way to decay,

the empath who water-skips through life
but is afraid to go under.

I’m here to give grace to everything I am:

To lay a blanket next to the grave
of my former selves,

and sit among seeds that were
never meant to flourish,

and dig up reminders of how
I’ve come to be in bloom.

Marcus Amaker was named Charleston, SC’s first Poet Laureate in 2016. In 2021, he became an Academy of American Poets fellow. He’s also the award-winning graphic designer of a national music journal (No Depression), an electronic musician, an opera librettist, the creator of a poetry festival, and a mentor. His poetry has been recognized by The Washington Post, The Kennedy Center, American Poets Magazine, The Washington National Opera, The Portland Opera, Button Poetry, NPR,  The Chicago Tribune, Edutopia, Departures Magazine, People’s World, PBS Newshour, SC Public Radio, Charleston Magazine, Charleston City Paper, North Dakota Quarterly, Post and Courier, Charleston Scene and more. In 2019, he won a Governor’s Arts award in South Carolina, and was named the artist-in-residence of the Gaillard Center. His poetry has been studied in classrooms around the country, and has been interpreted for ballet, jazz, modern dance, opera, and theater. One of his poems is on a Grammy-nominated album, and Marcus has recorded three albums with Grammy award winning drummer and producer Quentin E. Baxter. He started a publishing company to produce and promote the work of local poets and students. His ninth book is Black Music Is, from Free Verse Press.