goods where
the umbra
where the nettle thicket
amass
I have forsaken
my view
of the cosmos
for sprawls
of ozone
-kissed teeth
this is how I feel
small and significant
when you blow me
over like topsoil
dusting a bulb
small enough to live
inside my mother
a piece of genetic
scrap metal
a prayer
another planet’s
sun dust
I meant nothing
and I still do
but now the nothing
comes disguised
as neon drowning orion
in blush every night
and another day
leaning back to die
against the skyline
this city is a mouth
forged around
every gaze bound
for the heavens
and I am begging it
to keep chanting
its black harmony
to open
wider still
What does the title, “Emerging poet,” mean to you?
I fluctuate in my feelings about and understanding of the term “emerging.” I of course appreciate when resources and publication spaces are created for young or new poets. At times I feel seen in my struggle, but often time “emerging” also feels coded to mean “wait your turn.”
Do you consider yourself an “emerging” poet? Why or why not?
I consider myself one who benefits from resources provided for emerging poets. That being said, there are a lot of other adjectives better describe what type of poet I am.
What do you think it takes to be “recognized” in the poetry community?
“Recognized” is very loaded and I'm hyper-aware of the difference between being seen and recognized. Recognition seems to usually involve major publications, awards, and grants.
How do you think power politics shape the poetry community?
The poetry community is heavily concerned with liberalism and diversity. While these ideologies may aim to do good, I think more often than not they fall short when it comes to amplifying poets who write from society's more precarious identities.
What does community mean to you?
Community is what got me through graduate school. It's people like Tafisha Edwards, who used to Skype with me until four in the morning when I was too sad to actually go out on a Saturday night. Community brings the world to me when I cannot access it myself.
XANDRIA PHILLIPS is a poet and visual artist from rural Ohio. Xandria has received fellowships from Oberlin College, Cave Canem, Callaloo, and the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing, where they are the First Wave Poetry Fellow. Their poetry has been featured in American Poetry Review, Black Warrior Review, Crazyhorse, Poets.Org, Virginia Quarterly Review, and elsewhere. Their first book, HULL was published by Nightboat Books in 2019.