“How She Read” by Chantal Gibson

February 16, 2024

Poetry Pause is the League of Canadian Poets’ daily poetry dispatch. Read “How She Read” by Chantal Gibson, originally published in Poetry Pause on March 25, 2020.

Oh, how she read this. Girl beloved daughter of daughters blood, kin, and kind sagacious grammarian post-fly phoneticist every syllable she say be sapphires Oh, how she read that Girl beloved daughter of daughters blood, kin, and kind sassy semiotician post-def decoder every book she crack parts oceans, sends waves rushing back to their shores every page she turn sets free a caged bird, whose wings are spread and ready for flight Oh, how she read, this Girl beloved daughter of daughters blood, kin, and kind, post-dope dissenter mos-bomb seditionist every word she speak be a teeth-sucking act of resistance every word she write be a battle cry every tap of her pen be the beat of an ancestor’s drum

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