Emerging BIWOC Poet Spotlight

This monthly series features poems by women of color in the early stages of their publishing careers. It is our intention to create more space at Perugia for the work of poets who are Black, Indigenous, and women of color (BIWOC). We hope using our platform to celebrate this work will expand the readership of the poets we spotlight. This series aligns with Perugia’s mission to support and promote emerging women poets; featured poems will be from poets with no more than one published full-length collection. We’d love to hear from readers with suggestions for poems & poets to feature.

December 2020 Poet: Angelique Zobitz

This Country Will Require You to be Magical then Attempt to Burn You for Being a Witch

Girl-child, power-in-waiting, Revolution,
this world will try to cleave you
in half, reach inside—
lay waste, leave you
a bloody mess of seed,
pulp, carved out meat—
pick your bones
attempt to harness your sweet
for a world full
of eager carrion birds.

Transfigurate:
flower, fruit, fire—
unfurl an inferno
curling coils down
your devil back.
Scorch them with your flame
tongue. Remind them you
predate evangelism;
leave them ashes,
burn them down—
teach them our bodies
are best left alone.

Source

Love Letters to The Revolution, American Poetry Journal, 2020

Poet bio

Angelique Zobitz (she/her/hers) is the author of the chapbook Love Letters to The Revolution (American Poetry Journal, 2020). She is a 2020 Pushcart Prize nominee, a 2020 Best New Poets nominee, a 2019 Black River Chapbook Competition finalist, and a five-time Best of the Net nominee. Her work appears in The JournalSugar House ReviewObsidian: Literature & Arts of the African Diaspora, and many other venues. She can be found on Twitter and Instagram: @angeliquezobitz  

To learn more about Angelique Zobitz, visit her website.