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MERGE LITERARY MAGAZINE
Cosmic Zora
 
By Jacqueline Johnson

Word mambo,
elder,
prodigal,
owner of John-de-Conquer root,
golden daughter of Eatonville,
drylongso gal,
houngan's hand maiden,
owner of the speakerly text,
Janie's mouthpiece,
keeper of tongues,
silver singing trumpet,
song gatherer,
singer of work songs,
field hollers,
party tunes,
game songs.
 
Wealth was in collecting stories,
challenging Alan Lomax's thievery,
fighting with Langston to the early a.m.
A lone, brown woman wandering
about Harlem measuring heads or
off to Haiti learning dances of
loas Erzulie, Damballah.
 
Always out of time you,
barely had a home in the States,
found shelter in the Caribbean.
Eclipsed by jealousy,
poverty,
social blindness.
Carrying timbre of Bessie Smith,
living hand to mouth,
dealing for dollars where others
played for thousands.
Ancient market woman
exchanging lies
and half-truths for
long desired,
charmed life.




  • HOME ISSUE #3
  • Mission and Content
  • About US
  • POETRY AND PROSE
  • BLACK MUSIC PHOTO ESSAY
  • ESSAYS ARTICLES AND FICTION
  • VISUAL ART GALLERY
  • BIOGRAPHIES
  • SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
  • Support Merge Literary Magazine
  • ISSUE #2 CELEBRATING BLACK WOMEN
  • FEATURED WRITERS AND ARTISTS
  • MERGE LITERARY MAGAZINE PRINT EDITION
  • Mission and Content
  • About US
  • POETRY
  • ESSAYS ARTICLES AND FICTION
  • Multimedia Art Review
  • PHOTOGRAPHY CELEBRATING BLACK WOMEN
  • ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
  • WRITERS AND ARTISTS BIOS
  • SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
  • ISSUE #1 POLITICAL AFFAIRS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
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    • About US
    • POETRY
    • PROSE
    • ART ILLUSTRATION
    • ESSAYS AND PLAY
    • MULTI-MEDIA QUILT REVIEW
    • WRITERS AND ARTISTS BIOS
    • SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
    • Support Merge Literary Magazine