by Tafisha Edwards
Negro female. Unembalmed, Unclaimed.
Evidence of major trauma present.
Cause of death: manual strangulation.
Evidence: fractured .hyoid, pronounced
petechiae, defensive wounds:
broken fingernails, self-inflicted scratches
(attempt to fend off perpetrator:
Negro man. Motive unknown). Personal effects:
one ermine stole. One pair diamond earrings
One switchblade. One
strapless gown: chiffon. Next of kin:
Yvette Jones (grandmother). Unsuccessful:
three attempts to arrange
burial. Body will
remain on premises.
***
Tafisha A. Edwards is a Guyanese-Canadian poet who lives and works in Washington D.C. Her work has appeared in Fjords Review, Bodega Magazine, The Little Patuxent Review, Fledgling Rag, Stylus and other journals. She is a Cave Canem fellow, a graduate of the University of Maryland’s Jiminéz-Porter Writers’ House and a former educator at the American Poetry Museum.