"YouTube Comments" by Monique Harris

YouTube Comments 

The insult is clean. Has weight. 
They don’t always make a dent 
but sometimes they catch you 
without release, never shirking 
at the Hate for your Blackness 
for your Compassion. And sometimes 
the body wants to feel that Original Sin 
without your Wisdom, your Grace, 
your Age. Without saying it was Bot, 
a Kid, a Lonely Sad Fuck. 
Before you tell someone you admire 
you were the bigger person, it was a 
Learning Moment, you want to be 
the Smallest person on this planet. 
You want to be so Small 
you Drown in your Violence. 
Is it Human to want the last word? 
Will you Love me if I Hate them back? 

Monique Harris

Monique Harris is a teacher and writer from Raleigh, North Carolina. She has an MFA from Indiana University and currently enjoys teaching at the college level, helping others develop their love for reading and writing. Her writing explores Black womanhood, mental health, and spirituality and can be found in Wards Literary Magazine, Torch Literary Magazine, and upcoming in Talon Literary Review and Yellow Arrow Journal. Her interests include reading, hiking, and holistic healing.

Headshot: Monique Harris

Photo Credit: Staff