Letters from the Void, a short collection of poetry for the cycle breakers of past, present, and future generations. May we always find healing. May we all finally be free.
collector
how's the view from the train running rampant through my mind I've made a habit of harboring souls that glow in obsidian tunnels sitting comfortably with the secrets lurking beneath shadows of the tracks passengers bellow with pink tongues mouths water for droplets of dopamine when will lust becoming rage become grief becoming love become peace again
limerence
love floats in unexpectedly obsession caressing my cheek stuck cherry faced in thought moonlit moments of laughter in a haze keepsakes for nostalgic years to come fortune telling only to become tainted possibilities praying beneath plastic stars playing telephone through the Earth when we meet again will I know what you're meant for Gods falling into dust
worst addiction
it's your birthday and I look back dance right into your absence left space for my heart on your shelf hanging around seein' how I've grown kept you away but like a helix we’ve mutated into a new form final truths spew like vomit the stench stains my reflection but if I hoard this I'll never let you go so thank you for pushing me to the brink
enmeshment
I want to be the best parts creatively courageous sensitive and intuitive let go of the rest compassionate to a fault absent and estranged I outgrow your lessons only to find new wounds tending to what makes me other my throat is cracked open body stripped and stitched new sense of Self budding no longer shrinking and pleasing more receptive and protective I am more than where/who I came from
inheritance
pulling the thread that holds us carried around for (nine) months now matted and tangled how much of my parents are embedded in my blood with their parents weaved into my soul and my great-grandparents carved into my bones what of my great-great-grandparents where do they end and I begin we've become a ball of yarn lodged in my throat choking on fibers as I yank and pry free will you meet me at the fine knot in the center of my heart and unravel
alchemical
I awoke today yearning in my chest bitter ash on my tongue wet for vengeance bouncing from god complex to humble earthly servant my patience is waning with the moon one more mistake and I’ll split in two I don't have time for nuance let me crumble, then dissolve straight into your mouth devoured until there's nothing left but true holy union
la petite mort
warm cinnamon in a canopy bed sip you like a chamomile tea dare to dream and be more than someone from a poor broken home kiss you better than boys do won't slight you like they tend to apple of my eye morphing become the snake of the garden tempted by hymns of freedom play beneath the stars and dance between my teeth bathe in my red sea till you’re clean
Part Two
birds coo in mourning balanced expertly on branches forest greens splinter for the death of an old age chasms sprout like weeds but you’re the invasive species corrupting with stolen power our blood seeps into Earth’s core thinning the veil as you rupture our scars tell stories you can never erase we are the seeds and fertilizer the water nurturing the soil the fire bringing Spirit to bloom
Letters from the Void Copyright © 2024 Imani Scott-Smittick
All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced in any form without permission from the author/publisher.
Want to read more of my poetry? Purchase my first self-published book, I wanted to write you, but I made art instead.
Very moving and well written. I liked how it built off eachother but also how each part could also stand on its own. I also enjoyed how you can read each verse and view back at the art you published with it and see a different part stand out. 💖
Thank you for sharing.
With every one of these substacks, the beauty and amazing journey becomes more clear and helps me soothe into this earthly realm. Thank you for these!