“Seal the borders of my body to pain, seal my eyes, mouth, belly to any hunger not my own. I rename myself America. No love no grief in the world but mine.” — Shailja Patel Copy Share Image
“I love you honey / was the dribbled caramel / of Hollywood movies / Dallas / Dynasty / where electricity surged through skyscrapers /… — Shailja Patel Copy Share Image
“History buried becomes history repeated. A whole generation of Africans have been denied the truth of their own history, and so we do not… — Shailja Patel Copy Share Image
“Seal the borders of my body to pain, seal my eyes, mouth, belly to any hunger not my own. I rename myself America. No… — Shailja Patel Copy Share Image
“Westerners drop / I love you’s / into conversation / like blueberries / hitting soft muffin dough / I convert it to shillings / wince.” — Shailja Patel Copy Share Image
