Warsan Shire - For Women Who Are Difficult to Love

For Women Who Are Difficult to Love - written and performed by Warsan Shire

You are a horse running alone
and he tries to tame you
compares you to an impossible highway
to a burning house
says you are blinding him
that he could never leave you
forget you
want anything but you
you dizzy him, you are unbearable
every woman before or after you
is doused in your name
you fill his mouth
his teeth ache with memory of taste
his body just a long shadow seeking yours
but you are always too intense
frightening in the way you want him
unashamed and sacrificial
he tells you that no man can live up to the one who
lives in your head
and you tried to change didn’t you?

closed your mouth more
tried to be softer
prettier
less volatile, less awake
but even when sleeping you could feel
him travelling away from you in his dreams
so what did you want to do love
split his head open?
you can’t make homes out of human beings
someone should have already told you that
and if he wants to leave
then let him leave
you are terrifying
and strange and beautiful
something not everyone knows how to love.
****

Director, Producer : Andrea Cortes-Juarbe & Christine Mehr
Editor: Christine Mehr
Co-Editor: Andrea Cortes-Juarbe
Special thanks - Lauren Stanton, Sara'o Bery, Ada Pinkston, Isa Nakazawa

Audio mashed by Christine Mehr
Instrumental track - Zoe Keating's "Sun Will Set."

GenesisTramaine

Artist: genesis TRAMAINE

This past Thursday I was blindly invited to an art exhibit in Brooklyn and it went like this….

genesis TRAMAINE is an abstract artist, a member of Brooklyn Artistry & Company, who embraces blackness, misogyny, womanhood, and individuality.  Her paintings have properties such as black face and her own distinctive interpretation of the world around her. genesis is also a public school art teacher, educating primarily African American and Hispanic children.   In addition to a phenomenal collection of her own work, what I found extremely fascinating within the exhibit, included a wall dedicated to her students’ artwork.  It was a wall of self-portraits.  I found this wall to be so charismatic and was shocked at how truthful the students were in interpretation of themselves. Children can tell the truth better than any adult. My favorite piece at the exhibit is “Big Lip Tyrone” by genesis herself.  I love the exaggerated features and mustard-tone yellow is one of my favorite colors.  There was wine and the crowd contained insanely beautiful dapper women who were very pleasant.  A Thursday night spent absorbing art is a Thursday night well spent.

“I am totally excited about art.” – Genesis Tramaine

xoxo
-Rain