What They Called Us
this one sits
in the shade this
one hangs
in the sun this
one gets picked but
who does the plucking who
pickles on the vine what
sets in the east how
squishy
why special this
one is in leathers that
one in denim this
one waits forever that
one withers away suddenly
(the dish is empty
the house is quiet) what
matters is who
dies happiest
filled with
the most light who
left hungry what
is full
A 2019 PEN America Emerging Voices Fellow, Dare Williams is a Queer HIV-positive poet, artist, rooted in Southern California. He has received fellowships from John Ashbury Home School and The Frost Place. He is a co-producer of the reading series Word of Mouth which raises money for communities facing food and nutrition inequities. Dare’s poetry has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net and a two-time finalist for Blood Orange Review’s contest. His work has been anthologized in Redshift 5 by Arroyo Secco press and is featured in Cultural Weekly, Bending Genres, THRUSH, Exposition Review, and is forthcoming in Limp Wrist and elsewhere.