how do i tell my mother
that she gave birth to a hurricane
part shapeshifter & part indigo child
at any given moment
i am bending the rain, faithfully. wish
my reckless skinfolk knew my power
to cleanse in mere seconds
they warn, the child who is not embraced
by the village will burn
it down to feel its warmth. well
consider me a second coming
an undaughtered water.
giver & taker of life
capable of making each one
of them wish they were drowning
in lakes of fire instead
Tramaine Suubi is a multilingual writer from Kampala. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her forthcoming debut is a full-length poetry collection titled phases, which will be published in January 2025. Her forthcoming second book is also a full-length poetry collection titled stages, which will be published in January 2026. Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins, will publish both books. Tramaine serves as the managing editor of Writivism.