Dear X,

I have never known the blistering heat of Alabama cotton-fields, but you did. I have never known the true fear of death, the rot that takes hold of your bones and steals your breath, but you have. You knew the cracking whips of the overseer; I slept peacefully under a roof I owned. You saw your family sold off the auction block; I never knew the wrenching pain of death by distance. I learned to write my name in the open light; you struggled by candlelight.

Dear X,

I will never know your face, but I can read the traces of your life in the bleeding, bold X that your steady hand crossed by your name in census records yellowed by age. Would you recognize my face as your great great great granddaughter? I graduated college for you. I studied history to pour over the lines etched in your worn face. I live for you. I will die with a plea for your freedom on my bluish lips.

Dear Grady,

Dear Lafayette,

Dear Willie Dean,

Dear Lewis, Dear Mamie, Dear Cash, the first to call themselves Love,

Was Love a name chosen tenderly, caressed out of abolition? In a different world I would be Love too. That was stolen from me, washed away in a sea of hay burning bright in the wind and a mother betraying her daughter. Love is the name of a confederate soldier, my fourth great grandfather; Love is the name of my Black heritage, my great great great grandfather.

Dear Easter, Dear Thomas, Dear Louisa,

Black is Love. I Love my Blackness. My curly, thick hair I owe to you. My rounded nose I owe to you. The rich olive tint of my skin I owe to you. My deep, smoky quartz eyes were drawn from you. Love pours down from your watchful eyes like melted wax down a candle’s skinny frame. The scent of incense encases me and I shudder as I breathe you in.

Sincerely,
Paige

Paige Eaton (she/her) is a poet who is currently teaching English in South Korea and is originally from Rochester, New York. Her work has appeared in Long Winded Anthology, 7th-Circle Pyrite, and The Bitchin’ Kitsch, among others. She enjoys wandering art museums, exploring parks, and waving at cats.