Oh now where are you
(the prayer of a scared and lonely woman)
in my wandering blindly
running from that what scares me
hurting those who never mind
I live on the leftovers of others like me
those standing there on quiet washed roads
in beggard clothes and hunchbacked mode
the smooth skin
that once caressed my face
and the soft formed body warm
that used to spread and consume living things
are slowly leaving me behind
in sugar wrappers and desperate plans
and dark prosaic hands
and those who hold me but never see
the dreams drifting here underneath
if I could see my face
and know what is there
and feel the red blood bursting through
taste the burn of hot suns
and the kiss of southern winds
and then begin again
Copyright © 1993 Asili Ya Nadhiri
nadhiriwrites 
Dear Asili, It is good that you provide dates for your poems, because knowing that you wrote “Oh now where are you” twenty-one years ago influences how I interpret the poem. As I measure its meaning in the context of then (1993), I become more aware of how the persona complements the tone and content I might find in some poems by Lucille Clifton and Mari Evans. The date helps me to establish a temporal location for the poem in a sector of African American poetic tradition. Peace, Jerry
Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2014 05:55:36 +0000 To: jerry.ward31@hotmail.com