I'm That BIPOC Book Coach

Photo Credit: A. M. Parker

I’m that BIPOC book coach.
Not him. 
Not her. 
Not them, 
xem, or em.
I'm the one 
you've heard 
so much about 
because

I’m that BIPOC book coach.
I talk the talk;
I walk the walk;
I shoot my shots;
I plot my plots
simply because

I’m that BIPOC book coach
who understands what's it like
to have to beg for something they're owed—
to be unseen, unheard, brimming with stories untold
as they dig their fingers deep into the earth in the hopes
of reconnecting with something bigger than themselves because

I’m that BIPOC book coach.
I let my words be captured, bound, and sold for the masses
with the implicit, tacit knowledge that paper is merely
a vehicle, a vessel, s vestige of the land
upon which I stand and shout 
across the Internet's void,
posting Reel after Reel
without feeling real
so that people know

I’m that BIPOC book coach!
I'm that MFA graduate book coach!
I'm that certified BIPOC book coach!
I'm that get-that-bag-and-then-some book coach!
I'm that BIPOC, QUILTBAG+, NB, ND book coach!
I'm that anti-racist, anti-fascist, anti-caste book coach!

And I will never stop 
telling my story
and helping others 
do the same.