Gideon Young

Things I Must Consider

The precise scissoring of one rectangle from an official copy of my infant daughter’s birth certificate, to remove her social security number, while preserving her name and mine. Keeping this document on my person, since I am brown and she is light and when we are out, police with eager bullets may command me to prove my daughter is mine. I must consider how even such a groveling may not be enough.

vivid moonlight 
I rub a silver dollar
my father gave me

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About the Author

Gideon Young is a member of the Carolina African American Writers’ Collective, the Carrboro Poets Council, and the Orange County Arts Commission advisory board. A Fellow for A+ Schools of North Carolina and a stay-at-home dad, his debut haiku collection, my hands full of light, was published by Backbone Press (2021). Discover more at www.gideonyoung.com.

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