by MARLEE WATTS | 2nd Place, student poetry contest

On a sun-drenched patch of southern grass,
Beneath old oaks with time-stained bark,
The folding chairs began to fill—
This sacred circle, strong and still

Aunties hum with tinfoil trays,
Mac and cheese and yams ablaze,
Fried chicken stacked like golden praise
Collard greens in smoky sways.

Uncles throw bones in domino heat,
Laughing like drums with stomp in their feet,
Wearing sandals and socks, talking loud,
Each word proud, a cloud in the crowd

The grill hisses like a sermon song,
As cousins run, a braided throng
Tagging dreams on grassy fields
Joy too deep for time to steal.

Big mama sits with folded hands
Eyes like wells from ancient lands
She don’t speak much—but when she do
Whole generations lean in true.

Stories rise from mouths like prayer
Of marching feet, of black despair,
Of joy wrung out of struggle’s cloth.
Of names they fought not to be lost.

The babies dance with jelly stains
Swaddled in love they cannot name.
The elders nod—they see the signs
The roots still hold, the trees still climb

And in that moment, you understand
This isn’t just some weekend plan.
It’s church, it’s tribe, it’s a family bond
It’s knowing exactly where you belong

Ω

Marlee Watts is a concurrent student enrolled at TCC to pursue her associate’s degree while still in high school. Outside of school, her hobbies include reading, writing, and creating. She wants to pursue a degree in psychiatry while also pursuing her love for writing.

Joshua Blevins writes: “A digital drawing made to go along with a short horror poem about a man plagued by pests in his bedroom. Behind his wall, the Vermin King chitters and releases parasites that crawl under his skin, triggering a psychosis as the foul thing gathers enough strength to tear through his moldy wall. The Vermin King then instructs the man to remove and eat his own skin, after which he is beckoned inside, reborn in filth…”