Beyond Words

The Pickled People

by Adanze Asante At dusk, a crow caws on the porch of Emma Mae’s home. Before I can get any closer, it vanishes. I trip up the steps and think, at this point, I should bail. Until her front door creaks open, but no one’s at the door. I hesitate, stand still for a few moments, and think I’d rather wait for my ride to return. But the sky grows so pitch-black that I cannot…

Writing An Imperfect World

“I don’t write about perfect societies…”

Fly

My Aunt Dalilah had always desired to be a dancer. She knew how to align my spine into a perfect plié, and to lift my back leg into a beautiful arabesque. In her room, pictures of famous ballerinas lined her walls. She always wore her hair in a ballerina upsweep. When she spoke, her arms and hands punctuated her sentences with grace. I dreaded walking by her because she’d fix my posture. Even if I…

A Private Room

Please check out my new story published in Wraparoundsouth: http://wraparoundsouth.org/a-private-room/

It Was Her

“I go into my soundproof basement, where I keep my offerings. My stomach is wrenching with hunger pangs and with each step I salivate, thinking of what my next meal will taste like. Some bodies have a tart taste, some are sweet and spicy, and some are bitter and pungent. It depends on the person’s diet and lifestyle.”

The Journey

Greetings, “The Journey” found a home in an ezine from Nigeria, Omenana. Now you can read the unabridged version. Just click on the link below to read it.   Running through the thorny blonde grass, the lone hyena stops to scan the plains of the Serengeti for food and water. After traveling for more than three sunsets, she’s hungry and searching for carrion, but it’s scarce this dry season. A starling alights upon her path as…

“Spirit Warriors: A Mother’s Milk”

By Adanze Asante Chapter 1 “Abeyance”      I stood on the edge of a cliff ready to be born. Earth was beneath my feet and I could have chosen anywhere in the universe, but my choice led me to one woman: Titilayo Achebe Osa. Olodumare, the Supreme Being, held my hand as we watched her and the possibilities of Earth before us. Quelling Titilayo’s sorrow had been my goal, and if I were careful and…