Last night I dreamt you loved
my earrings. They were simple:
silver shells hinged by iridescent
plastic beads. You wanted to see
them up close, fascinated
by whatever made them shine
that way in flourescent light.
So you tugged too hard
when I let you pull on my left lobe.
Still laughing, I awoke wanting
to call you and to know
what your favorite candy is,
what music you like to listen to
while walking the dogs.
I wanted to be closer to you
than pages cleaving to a spine.

-Bianca Spriggs,
How Swallowtails Become Dragons, © (2011) Accents Publishing

Affrilachian Poet and Cave Canem Fellow Bianca Spriggs is a freelance instructor of composition, literature, and creative writing. She holds degrees from Transylvania University and the University of Wisconsin. She is a Kentucky Humanities Council Lecturer and the creator and programmer of the Gypsy Poetry Slam featured annually at the Kentucky Women Writers Conference. Heralded as “the new standard bearer for the Affrilachian Poets” by founding member Frank X Walker, Bianca is the author of Kaffir Lily (Wind Publications) and her work may also be found in the anthologies New Growth: Recent Kentucky Writings and America! What’s My Name? and the journals Union Station Magazine, Appalachian Heritage Magazine, and others.