Wrapped in Love: A Collection for Jess

wrapped in

love

A collection for jess

Wrapped in Love a collection for Jess from #Nashfam

2023 Document. Dream. Disrupt. at Sadie Nash Leadership Project Editor: Karla Robinson Poets: Louise Barry Shafrarisi Bonner Corrine Civil Samra Ghermay Myia Graham Denise Quijada Karla Robinson

dedicated to thriving connections across time & place

Beam with love,

Louise

Sometimes I dream I am staring down the hallway of my high school.

I am walking one step at a time past the dented lockers and the half-open doors leading to empty rooms that smell of chalk and marker.

I walk on and I wonder when I will arrive at the end of the hall.

I don’t arrive. There is no end.

I will live my entire life in the architecture designed and built by my earliest teachers.

And whether my voice echoes off the ceiling, or whether I stoop to fit their expectations, I’ll have all the space they thought I needed.

3

You know this.

I know you know this because I’ve seen the care you took to demolish the load-bearing walls of this collapsing structure to let in the air and the light.

how lucky are we to have experienced love tenderness & guidance

all at once

with love,

Shafrarisi

Never Lost with love,

Samra

S

For Jess A compass is trusted and true finding what is surely meant for you pointing in the direction of integrity A tool to help forge your identity Its needle steady, unwavering Faithful and staunch, unfavoring A friend to help you find what is lost or needed Circular, continuous, ceaseless and heeded With each step you take in stride The compass appears to be by your side Taking a stand and showing you where you could go The compass and you are a true north star to follow.

7

n c a S t

ac Sp e

r y a u

with love,

Karla

If life is a game of tag, then our time together is touching base If ancestors sit with us, and we accept our intuition is too ancient too resonant too intelligent to ignore That we must surrender or flail You remind me It takes at least two to steer the steep inclines and blind curves Trust brave open hands Treacherous terrain Palm to palm The heart sustains Hold on tight Our humanity remains You remind me I don’t have to do it alone 9

For Jess, Always with love,

Corrine

Did you sleep well last night?

Have you had a meal today?

What do you need to feel held in this moment?

What does your heart say? Follow it always.

11

i am your friend. a soul for your soul. a place for your life. home. know this. sun or water. here or away. we are a lighthouse. we leave. and we stay.

-lighthouse nayyirah waheed

I don’t want to be near you for the thoughts we share but the words we never have to speak I will never miss you because of what we do but what we are together

Nikki Giovanni

We are not friends because of the laughs we spend but the tears we save

A Poem for Friendship

We are not lovers because of the love we make but the love we have

13

Myia

with love,

Jessuary

d it's n o A

ning... gin

h e be t y l n

with love,

Denise

It started in a safe space with a lot of laughs, tears and “you’ve got this” you became a lifeline for new sprouts and silly mistakes I witnessed your authenticity and spirit The first of many fond memories and shared joy together It started during the awareness of a deep wound for the world during a time of turmoil, grief and doubt You stepped in with care and love Not in physical space but always held through deep breaths and loving accountability

We grew In a world vastly different than we had ever imagined, We answered the call Ride or Die earned a new meaning It started in a time of rebirth following a time of turmoil, grief and doubt You stepped in with care and love We were in a different world but your presence, never far, was as sweet and warm as Coca Cola flavored wine No longer green, you gave me space and I grew 10 feet tall Ushering change apart, but never alone

19

You stepped in with care and love and now the world looks a little different More joyful, brighter and full of laughter And it’s only the beginning…

DOCUMENT. DREAM. DISRUPT. Bronx, NY 2023