blud

McKibbens's blud is a collection of dark, rhythmic poems interested in the ways in which inherited things—bloodlines, mental illnesses, trauma—affect their inheritors. Reveling in form and sound, McKibbens's writing takes back control, undaunted by the idea of sinking its teeth into the ugliest moments of life, while still believing—and looking for—the good underneath all the bruising.

From "untitled (lost love)":

To my daughters I need to say:

Go with the one who loves you biblically.

The one whose love lifts its head to you

despite its broken neck. Whose body

bursts sixteen arms electric

to carry you, gentle the way

old grief is gentle.

Love the love that is messy

in all its too much . . .

Rachel McKibbens is a poet, activist, playwright, essayist, and two-time New York Foundation for the Arts poetry fellow. She is the author of four books and founder of The Pink Door, an annual writing retreat open exclusively to women of color. She lives in Rochester, New York.