Migratory Restlessness
by Kashawn Taylor
for Kenny (1996 – 2024)
You asked me to move to New London,
by the sand and waves, to experience freedom
with you, between my toes and in my shorts,
& it made my legs itch. An avian
quiver declares it’s time to fly.
The past deceives like quicksand.
By that, I mean the past is complacency’s
spiny fingers wrapped around our ankles
devastatingly disguised as the satin pillow
arms of contentment.
This jitter is biblical
& one must abide G-d’s
holy call to march!
even if it’s only to harmonize in spaces
your soul sings haunted requiems,
to taste a handful of your ashes
from the palms of the sea.
About the Author
Kashawn Taylor is a formerly incarcerated writer and educator from Connecticut. His work has appeared or will appear in such journals and magazines as The Poetry Lighthouse, Lucky Jefferson, Oyster River Pages, The Offing, Sequestrum, and Poetry Magazine, among others. A collection of poetry, subhuman., was released by Wayfarer Books in March 2025; he has a collection of prose forthcoming with Whiskey Tit Books called Kites. He serves on the American Prison Writing Archive 2026-2027 advisory board. He currently teaches with Gotham Writers Workshop and works with Prison Journalism Project as the 2026 Audience Engagement Fellow.
