and yet we move & clamshell hearts/love pearls & never too much
~ and yet we move ~
there is no feeling more
sacred than watching your
petals, closed coils of pink
velvet, unfurl at early dawn
rise toward the light, baby
pull me in by the neck
and tint my lips
with honeydew
so sweet my pupils dilate
and i’m high on the certainty
that the way we move
is no aberration
so whoever’s got an issue
with us can take it up
with the Celestials
and watch Them laugh
as we continue to orbit,
too in love to notice
Them reminding the haters
the stars they came from too
~ clamshell hearts/love pearls ~
you return to dat riddim
under the sea
often.
coral reefs part and
the bed is indented
with foot grooves.
sunken to a shape
that knows you.
likkle trunkfish scuttle
briefly
before rolling their eyes
and remembering that
you are not a guest here.
you are melted ice
tiny particles travelling
at the speed of light
an inhalation of
chemical reactions
an exhalation of
lungs —
you return.
to dat riddim
dat riddim
dat riddim
under the sea
to lay palms out
reopened for pearls
cracked and dug
out of wombs
believed to be
too barren to borne
relief is carried
inside the bubbles you
exhale.
those fringing reefs
hug your spine
as you tread the sea bed
keeping you up
the bigger your pearl becomes
the bigger your pearl becomes
the more it protects
big belly laughs
murmured sugar
the ecstasy of your celestials’ zenith
within its clamshell
nuff times you flee
this rising sea
fling the clamshell
rippled with riddims
it has often hurt
to hold
you tell yourself you’ll prise it
open again
when you're richer
when you’re freer
when you’re healed
but remember:
you can only bury this pearl
so deep and
so many times before
it stops growing
and the clamshell births only
emptiness.
~ never too much ~
catch a ride
on the breeze
little Black girl
the way seeds do
bury your feet
in deep earth
and watch leaves
sprout
from your fingertips
let them gather
the rainfall of
tears you cry
and use it
as nourishment for
your roots that
live to love
and anchor you
those leaves soon
grow big enough
to shroud the
pressure to be
perfect in shade.
little Black girl
remember that you
are the sun
setting expectations ablaze
you hold all
the elements of
life
little Black girl
so never let
anyone tell you
you’re too much
for this world
over time your
confidence will plant
hope
for those who
come after you
will honour the
stars your ancestors are.
you are living
their wildest dreams
little Black girl
so be as
loud as thunder
as soft as
wind across seas
and never forget
your beauty is
shaped by nature
and nature makes no mistakes.
cora dessalines (they/them) is an afrofuturist poet, writer and creative contributor based in south east london. drawing from the imagery of the cosmos, their writing focuses on themes of love, loss, and rage from a queer Black perspective. you can find their most recent work published in sweet-thang zine, iamb poetry and YOU'RE NEVER TOO MUCH, a poetry anthology published by pan macmillan in september 2025. they have previously been published in spazio griot, bad form magazine & lacuna literary magazine.
Website: coradessalines.com
Instagram: cocco_x