Janel Cloyd
Bloom
There are some days
I forget how to bloom
how to unfurl my leaves
I forget how to open
my velvety petals
to the welcoming of the sun
There are some days
I forget that I am tethered
to the belly of mother earth
I have far reaching roots
I am meant to be grounded
There are days
I struggle to remember
to be planted is a gift
I must not be fearful of my
blossoms being plucked
I must have faith in being
beautiful enough for others
to see the beauty in themselves
Life is more about
the willingness to sprout
It is about the memory of growing
It is about the possibility
of becoming the garden
our children need to see
Janel Cloyd is a Poet, Writer and Essayist. She has been awarded a Willow Arts Alliance Artist Residency. Awarded Fellowships from VONA, Dream Yard and the Watering Hole. Publications include: The Black Lives Have Always Mattered Anthology, Raising Mothers, Mujeres, The Magic, The Movement, & The Muse Anthology, Peregrine Journal, About Place Journal, Acentos Review, Emotive Fruition and Stonecoast Review. Cloyd’s work explores and embraces the themes of womanhood, spirituality and the body aesthetic.