Two Poems | Tramaine Suubi

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14 mins read

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.