holding space
today i try
on my dad’s suits
his brother’s last supper
second easter in kampala
shake loose memories
that fall out too, by twos
third proposal to my mum
fourth time as the best man
hug me in neat pleats & rolls
but they give me room to breathe
business school outside london
sixth snow, solo, in new york city
earth tones flush against primary colors
dusty in the corner, his sturdy trust me blue
seventh gig as a wedding emcee
christmas family reunion in houston
they are well worn but i wear them well
comfort my hurting when no one else does
another blood clot stuck on air france
10,000 five-star ratings as an uber driver
each fit is set with a stutter in a handkerchief
a proper gentleman armed with the queen’s english
his mother’s fatal stroke on april fools’ day
the 99th job interview in this godforsaken nation
he says that my first day of school was the happiest day of his life. i am still looking for that suit.
tandem
panhandle-born 4 suns & 4 moons apart
one spun from air & the other
fashioned in earth
somehow the hearth preserves
our warmth. our sleek
bodies kissed by river
otters & tailless cows, bearing
the blood of opposing
tribes & the unapologetic
matriarchs
laughing offbeat
but dreaming as one
so, we mother
each other
& take turns
flying off the
radar
bursting
past the
ether, alloy
wings intact
Tramaine Suubi is a multilingual writer from Kampala, and a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her forthcoming debut is a full-length poetry collection titled phases, which will be published in January 2025. Her forthcoming second book is also a full-length poetry collection titled stages, which will be published in January 2026. Both books will be published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins. You can find her www.tramainesuubi.com.