Jasmyne Rowe
When Rowe's not in school, she visits family in Gastonia, N.C., and Gaston, S.C.,
After school, she hopes to find a job in her field and begin "paying off student loans." She was born in Fayetteville, N.C., and has lived in a number of places since then. Last year she completed study abroad in Peru. A senior completing majors in both Sociology and Spanish at Emory & Henry College, she also has an interest in photography.
Her photograph of Machu Picchu won the college's 2010 International Photography Contest.
Refusal
by Jasmyne Rowe
Tonight is the night.
We can smell his excitement from out here.
We will taste the mixture of their flavors.
Of her – fear and bitter void;
Of him – deep hatred, blood lust, and the faint hints of happiness.
And over here, we have these men pathetically fighting.
Quarts, parts, and pieces – that's what we get.
The flavors? Fear. Fear of crossing the worst line possible.
We taste debauchery, pride; we taste hope and intense sadness –
spilling, running, drowning us.
We don't want these leftovers.
Every time they shove it our way, we protest.
We clench up so tightly, fervently hoping that they won't break through our defense.
And every time, they push on through us.
Our Mother.
Why has she abandoned us? Why would she leave us to defend ourselves so emptily?
Maybe she too is weary. With all of us pleading for some relief, she must be wavering beneath it all.
Man, and his endless repugnant works.
We don't want your leftovers.
THERE'S MORE:
"Natural Origin" by Jessica Davenport
