07-19-2026, 10:59 AM
i got hurt in jersey. dirty jersey. my body is a map of jersey; it erodes and grows--environmental changes. from a little girl wearing a jersey on an earthy grass pitch, to a taller girl in a treatment facility in dover, new jersey. and i wasn't born in jersey but raised here. here in jersey i had lemonade stands, finished grade school, and tasted my first bitterly-sweet drop of liquor.
my body is a map of jersey. not flat, not moutainous. my voice--route 22--fast, nonstop; my hair october leaves. my tears and emotions the jersey shore, salty and a little bit sweet.
jerseys got a bad rep, mean, blunt, beat. condemnation prior to consideration because jerseys the place to be. she's not perfect--thunder claps--she falls not strong nor tall. but wind blows and waves smack sand, retrieving her after all.
my body is a map of jersey, dirty, hurt, and beautiful; from a little girl to a taller one, seasons, roads, wind, and waves, i am jersey through and through.