Love Is…

Nestled in the depths of our soul, underneath the debris of society, love awaits our discovery.

Despite what they tell us, love can't be bought.

It has yet to be featured in an ad or streamed online for our view.

Rather, love occurs every day when we awake and rise. It is illustrated in the coils of our hair and how we let our bodies fully flare.

Love is our audacity to remain in the face of attempted erasure.

On some days, love may seem faint yet it is forever present. At times it lies dormant in the face of our fears, but in the end, love never cowers.

Love arrives as a tool to survive, having traveled across continents and lifetimes to reach us.

It is the only remedy that can purify the contaminated waters of Western ways.

Love is the vast essence that cascades across our Holy skies.

Love is why we will never die.

Kristal Raheem

Kristal Raheem (also known as Raheem Divine) is an ethnographic researcher, consultant, and poet from Oakland, California. Her work calls attention to health and educational disparities among Black, Queer, and other systematically oppressed communities around the world. Through literary and visual storytelling, she aims to help people remember and remain on their path of healing and liberation.

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Why Do You Keep Choosing A Broken Heart?

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Reflections on Love & Black Girl Friendship