The Genesis Project by Naomi Merlain

Yesterday, director, Naomi Merlain, released her first short film, “The Genesis Project.”

“The Genesis Project” is a 19 minute and 34 second long visual about what it means to live and express yourself as a woman. The entire project was directed and curated by Naomi and her team of four stylists, creative directors and videographers.

Read our interview with Naomi Merlain below to learn more about the production and meaning behind “The Genesis Project”:

S: How long did it take you to film this project?

NM: The entire project was filmed in 62 hours, spread out between 6 days. Everybody that worked on the project did it pro-bono, while in school, right before finals. We would meet Saturday and Sunday from 8 am to 8pm, and then everyone would get a week off and then we would meet again the next week Saturday and Sunday for weeks. Every Monday morning I would wake up physically exhausted…But, in terms of when I personally started the project, I got the idea November 12, 2018, and then compiled by team of four December 5, 2018.

S: What gave you the inspiration to want to tackle this subject in a short film?

NM: The project aims to be an exploration of what it means to be a woman, but viewed through the lens of a reinterpreted Gospel. The project, in a very artistic way, was therapeutic to me because it is my story. When asked the question of what it means to be a woman, as someone who grew up in the church, I can not answer that without bringing God into the discussion. When we were making the script, my writer and creative director and I would actually read through a lot of the scriptures in the Bible. We found that the idea of how people view women in the Bible is misconstrued—how people say the Bible limits women and tells them how they can’t do this and can’t do that. But, through reading, we saw women put in places of power. The Messiah came through a woman. The first person to name God as God was a woman. The first person to witness that Jesus rose from the dead was a woman. We saw that if you look at these scriptures through a different lens, these scriptures, although there are few, empower women greatly. Women are trendsetters. Women stand at the forefront. We wanted to keep that theme and embody it throughout the entire movie.

S: What was your favorite part about filming this short film?

NM: My favorite thing about making this project was the growth of my team and my personal growth. Like I said, I grew up in the church, and the church always asks what’s your purpose, and since I was a kid, I always thought of myself as a molder. I help people step into their purpose and help them grow. I loved working through this project and seeing a lightbulb go off in the eyes of the videographer or the writer or the actors. Seeing their first drafts to their final drafts, and how much they grew put pure joy into my heart. Then, for me, when I made this, I was talking to my mentor and telling him that I had never done anything like this before. I had never directed a short film and I didn’t even know if I was capable, but my mentor believed in me so I thought ‘OK, I’ll go for it.’ Then working through the project, I realized that I had never before had a moment where I was like I prayed for this an now I’m here. Before, things used to just fall in my lap and I would just go with the flow and people would love it. I never really had to work that hard. But I wanted this to be my moment, and because I was inexperienced I had to work harder and I had to pray harder. It forced me to have faith that I never had before because I would get rejected. I got rejected by three sponsors, and I cried about it and even thought maybe if no one else believes in the project I might not have it, but I felt God telling me to get up. He said you cried about it, get up and keep going. We had no money so I learned to work without money…Other people had always seen me as this creative genius, but I just saw myself as Naomi. It was a mixture of being humble but also being insecure. After this project though, I saw God telling me that I was capable, that I could do this, and that was very eyeopening for me. Being able to look at this project and be proud of myself and see for myself that I had a gift was like wow.

S: Do you plan to direct more films in the future?

NM: I do want to be a director, but even just figuring out what that means will be a journey. Making this film was really revolutionary for me because I do this thing where I see things— I’ll read a book or listen to a song, and I’ll get this creative idea in my head that I can’t shake off. People will be talking to me but I’ll be seeing people dancing in the background. I’m talking to you but I’m seeing ‘oh if we put crystals on your face that could mean this.’ And the idea will just nag me until I have to do something about it. Creating for me is almost just trying to give myself relief from that constant nagging, chasing this feeling until the end. So, for this project, initially I wasn’t thinking anything of it and now I am going to be submitting it to festivals, but I didn’t create the project to do that. I just chase the feeling, and I don’t see myself ever stopping chasing this feeling. But I don’t put myself in a box and other people shouldn’t in a box either. The next thing I come out with could be a collection, or a fashion show, or an album.”

You can watch The Genesis Project on Youtube.

Stay up-to-date on Naomi Merlain’s upcoming projects by following her @thenaomimerlain on Instagram.

Submission by Christian Ellis

{this poem has no title. to me it is more of a fleeting emotion or a journal entry. it’s from late spring.}

my neck is sore

“all hail the winged fool”

and the corner of my eye is tender.

tha first moment was weightless.

(gravity is the son of pain)

now comes the dance of life, death and rain.

you awoke, to limbo, in between these songs

i cannot see or feel

which comes next fly or fall

all i know is “catch her.”

what i want is everything

i’m sorry i am still holding you,

i have never seen a sleep walker

from in front of the mask.

your feet remember the shape of the earth

and balanced you there,

falling forever in this moment.

you showed me everything,

this all is nothing.

my back is stiff

all i can feel is nothing

i am a phoenix

nothing is my life force energy

free me

i make fire from nothing

this poem is a companion. i had just realized that they go together. it’s called october 15.

—–

oct 15

a body of water rises to the waistlines

like laying together standing,

not on top of the other.

(this magnetism perpendicular to gravity

waist is lovelier than the wasted

stain, a dipthong with a and i

pain

air

so. i forgot to make it beautiful again

when have i written that line before?

oh deja vu, the cruelest of my (only) joy.

crawling towards the bed of my mistakes.

the ghost of past is mine

intimate company.

i make home of this my failure.

for the comfort that they bring,

this is aloneness.

she cradles my

body as a lover should)

—–

i wrote this one to finish them

writing to you from accross the veil

as i attempt to break the oddness of

my pentameter.

this is of me. i am older.

and to love me has required

the upmost of strength, i know now.

and how i am soft to

the touch of sharp metal.

now i give it away.

now is the heart’s first night free

from the cage of my

inheritence from the blinded eye

held by your image as the tongue to the jaw

do you see how my chakras know

of each others same captivity?

and knowlege is the only power?

i feel such a wonderful nothing

that is the smell of revolution,

why am i yet unfree until i meet you?

-ce

@christie.ellis on Instagram.

Music Review: Off The Grid

Rapper Willard The Pillard released his latest album, Off The Grid, earlier this month, on October 13th. Off The Grid is a 28 minute long project, composed of 11 hip-hop and rap songs.

Off the Grid opens with the introduction of ‘Reminiscing.’ This 3-minute long song gives a summary of the rest of the project to follow. ‘Reminiscing’ talks about the start to Willard The Pillard’s spiral into depression–his failed relationship, violence, the stresses of growing up as he sings, and his attempt to hide it all under a pursuit of money. He says “use me, influence me, the diamonds and the gold keep abusing me.” In an interview with SiKK Magazine, Willard The Pillard explained “It’s ironic because this was actually the last song I recorded. It’s my favorite because it’s the first song I ever produced completely by myself. Also, the song is kind of a summary of all my thoughts while going through depression. Tough relationship, police brutality, basic college troubles of providing for yourself and the fear of disappointing your parents.”

The next song, ‘Leo,’ brings listeners further into Willard The Pillard’s mind as he struggles to find his passion, and his failed attempts of trying to find joy through other people and failed relationships–“Bought a chain for you with my first and last initial. I was loyal to you when this shit was inhibition. I’m on the way way to you, I heard a song on the radio, learning connecting is the way to go, your love won’t save me though.”

In fact, the entire project is really an insight into Willard The Pillard’s own tiresome pursuit of happiness. He explained “When I made the project, I was actually working through clinical depression. When you’re clinically depressed, you’re in a really drained state of mind and you don’t want to do anything. I was trying to create something that would give keep me going, something I could get upend look forward to every day. Something to focus on and keep me out of my head. It was really just therapeutic.”

However, Willard The Pillard says that even though these songs deal with rough moments in his life, the whole project is meant to serve as an anthem for victory. By the last song on Off the Grid, Willard The Pillard goes from wallowing in his own sadness to reclaiming his truth and confidence through ‘Wild Willard.’ He raps “Willar the Pillard ball on these n*ggas like Damien Willard…Rather be rich with no fame than a broke n*gga that got a name.”

When saying how the creation of this project made him feel, Willard The Pillard responded “It’s a victory story. I’m really proud of how far I have come from that dark place.”

We would rate this project an 8/10. Willard The Pillard is able to be vulnerable on the track while spreading awareness about the importance of mental health, which is something a lot of rappers do not feel comfortable doing. More so, his choice of beats from purely hip-hop to more afro-pop show that Willard The Pillard is able to hold his flow on a lot of varying sounds.

You can stream Willard The Pillard’s Off The Grid on Apple Music.

Leah Lowrey.

Leah Lowrey is a painter and illustrator from Hyattsville, Maryland.

Lowrey began creating after experiencing an absence of excitement in her life. Growing up, Lowrey was not always surrounded by constant attention, so she had to find ways to entertain herself. For fun, she started reading, and writing, and illustrating.

“I felt like my life was mad boring when I was younger so I just had to keep myself interested, and I did that through art and writing. I was super into writing books. I know that sounds crazy but I really did have all these spiral notebooks that I would just fill and fill, and I and drew all the illustrations to go along with them, too. It’s sad because I threw them away and now I realize that kids are so inspiring, and if I had that right now I would be so inspired.”

Now, Lowrey’s work is inspired by her admiration for surrealism, fauvism and bold colors. Typically, it takes Lowrey one to four months to finish a piece. She explained that, although her works are not generally large in size, they are transformative in nature. Meaning, Lowrey begins with a small idea or interest and then lets the work build itself over time.

Earlier this year, Lorewy expanded her paintings into a clothing brand, YEWNU, featuring clothes illustrated and designed by herself.

When asked about what she wanted the impact of her work to be on the larger community, Lowrey responded ““It’s really weird for me to think about the impact of my work. Everything is really narrative for me in a personal way, where it’s like what it could mean to me and what it could mean to five other people in the same room is completely different. But, if I had to have one sound message it would be to explore your emotions through color, narrative.

In the future, Lowrey plans to open up her own gallery and youth-arts center. Her goal is to create a space where high school kids can learn about and create art, while being with likeminded peers.

“I would say that it is OK to be vulnerable. I think that a lot of brown and Black kids grew up with this idea that if they’re emotional they can’t really talk about it. From my experience, parents can be iffy about therapy and stuff like that. But, even if you can’t make it to a therapist, it’s good to do therapy on yourself. Do therapy on yourself through art.”
Leah Lowrey

You can find more of Leah Lowrey’s work by following her @aquafinduck and @yewnuapparel on Instagram.

Let the Sun Talk by Mavi

Cover art for Let the Sun Talk designed by @ayjrian.tiu

It’s my baby…You drop it out and then you’re real happy, but in the immediate aftermath you’re tortured by its constant need for care and attention. Just like a damn baby.
Mavi

SiKK Magazine sat down with Charlotte, NC, rapper, Mavi to learn more about his latest album and hit sensation Let the Sun Talk.

Let the Sun Talk was released earlier this month, on October 7th, 2019, a complete year after it was started on October 7th, 2018. Let the Sun Talk features 11 songs with sounds from a variety of genres, including hip-hop and afro-soul.

Read our interview with Mavi about his creation of Let the Sun Talk below:

S: Why did you name this project Let the Sun Talk? Are you the sun, and where does that persona come from?

M: I named it Let the Sun Talk because it’s loosely based around this spiritual philosophy called Nation of Gods and Earth, which basically puts the Black child at the center of his family and his space. The original philosophy was targeted toward Black boys, and I wanted to get across that you are the source of power and energy in your universe, which is something that is important for Black boys, Black girls, Black gender non-conforming folks to hear. This is a cultural philosophy that I grew up learning from my father, form my friends and community, and I wanted to share it because it is something that can improve a lot of people’s lives—knowing that they are the source of everything.

S: What would you say was the most difficult part about creating the album? What was your favorite part about creating the album?

M: The hardest part was having consistent resources in the ways of mixing and mastering, and to have someone be able to sit down with my raps and hear my advice on how to make it a complete project. That was really hard and stressful to the point where several times I considered not putting it out at all. But, the funnest part was probably when I started it about a calendar year ago—that first wave of a whole bunch of writing that came after I left the hospital. In a response to the physical weakness I was experiencing, I feel like my soul regained its footing. That’s what empowered me to make this shit in the first place. Getting my power back.

S: Besides rapping, did you play any other roles in the production of Let the Sun Talk?

M: All of the music on there was made in a spaced- out kind of way. So, in addition to just rapping, I was responsible for being a consolidator and a curator of sounds and feelings I thought would encapsulate the words, so that even in parts where I’m not saying anything the plot is still being advanced. That was also a very fun part about making it. It felt like making a movie.

S: What is your favorite song from the project and why?

M: I’m gonna give you three favorites. Guernica, just because it’s very jazzy, very two-steppy, and it’s my favorite one to dance to. I think it’s one of the more musical kinds of songs on there, and it reflects just a tiny percent of the ambition that I have musically, just going into improving as a song-maker. Omavi is my second favorite because the two versus that are on there were written at really crazy points in my life, where nigg*s was finna be outta here on my own accord. Just naming a song like that that was so vulnerable with my real government name made it one of my favorites. And my flows on it are my favorite from the whole album. My last favorite is daylight savings. It was the last one to be finalized and it had a black woman on it, Synclaire (@fle3K), who snaps. It’s really danceable and two-step-able. I really like the Mavi songs that have motion on them.

S: How did the creation of this project change how you view yourself as an artist and rapper?

M: Let the Sun, as far as Mavi goes, in my opinion is pretty straight-laced. I think that for one it defined my consistency in real terms, just from the fact that I now have a cover to cover album with very few lyrical lapses, if any. This really gave me the confidence to try more ambitious, whole projects. Being able to combine all of the parts of my thoughts into one whole that is relatively cohesive just gave me the green light to try other weirder, funner shit.

S: Moving forward, do you think that you will continue to release music that is Let the Sun Talk esq., or do you feel that your sound has changed since this album was released?

M: My sound was changed before this album was even announced. Let the Sun has been done from a rap and composition perspective for kind of a long time. It was really released late as f*ck, so a lot of the sounds that are on there and are new were heard during the meantime from the release of other songs and from other people. Part of what made the waiting process torturous for me was that I was already moving on sonically, but I was not able to really move on because I hadn’t yet given my people this work. So, don’t expect stuff to be Let the Sun esq. as far as what things sound like, but what it feels like in the back of your mind with always be Mav. My pen is always my pen.

You can stream Let the Sun Talk on SoundCloud and at Letthesun.one. You might have to listen more than once to get the full meaning, but we think his message is worth the extra effort.

Submission By Carmiña Junípero

My writing expresses the voice of the young, the Black, the queer, and the questioning. From pieces about what it means to live in a vanillafied Chocolate City, to the complex grief felt in glimpses of modern American college life, my writing seeks to encompass what it means to be a human in this fragile time. I would like to think of my poetry as tiny time capsules for fleeting moments.
Carmiña Junípero

“Marshland“

“My city was built on a Swamp. You can feel it in the hot, sticky air. I know you might not believe it when you see the monument and white house and capitol building. But you must know – washington dc was built on a Swamp. The mosquitos bite because it is their home. If you look up “Washington DC in the 1800s,” you will not find pictures of the Native Nacotchtank. Nor portraits of the Black people who built the city. After the mud came the trenches and after the trenches came the buildings. Plenty pictures of those pretty white buildings.

So where are the people who built them, you ask?

The Swamp must have swallowed Us whole.”

– a Local

“Blue”

“You told me once that your favorite part of a book was the dedication. I saw one addressed to “all those who work to protect the ocean.” And since the night we met on the beach, you always loved the deep blue sea. I was just about to buy it for you when I remembered that we broke up 3 months ago.
I guess I still carry us around like the necklace you stopped wearing.

Do you ever hear me choking?

Can you tell I’m still drowning?

Or have you stopped looking into the distance, altogether?”

“Joy Luck House, 2019“

“Where have all the Chinese gone?

There are certainly none left in Chinatown.

The Friendship Archway flaunts herself

At the intersection of H & 6th

Big and Beautiful and Lonely.

An empty promise of sorts

An empty vessel.

Crying, almost,

Like a statue of liberty.”

“Jordin’s Paradise“

“Poles lining the dance hall
Afro beats play just across a flimsy curtain
Tequila mixed with ginger ale
Staring up into the blue light above

We never knew what growing up quite meant
So we danced it away in the night
Hungover in the morning
Wishing away our better dreams

One day we would be those stars we saw in the night sky
But right now we couldn’t admit it

Instead, we saw the earth crumbling all around us
And cried
A long cry, two thousand years wide

And much further, still, to go

fathersokka.

fathersokka is an 18-year-old musician from Washington, D.C.

“I would categorize myself as a vocalist, producer, instrumentalist and rapper.”
fathersokka

fathersokka began creating art as a child, when she would go with her mom to work. fathersokka’s family did not have enough money for a babysitter at the time, so fathersokka’s mother would bring her into work and give fathersokka paints and paper to entertain herself with until her shift was over.

She explained, “I’ve always been somewhat art-based. When I was younger, my mom couldn’t afford a babysitter so she would take me to work with her and she would buy me those dollar paint sets and I would be at her job writing poems and painting pictures. I also wanted to take guitar lessons, but we couldn’t afford that either so I spent a lot of time just writing music and singing it. I got back into songwriting like two years ago and ended up releasing my first song.”

Having this financial struggle from a young age has taught fathersokka how to best utilize limited resources. She used to be discouraged that she could not afford the expensive guitar lessons that her white peers so easily got, but found that she was able to continue to succeed in music when she started collaborating with other Black and brown artists.

She said, “I feel like I have been struggling with the fact that I never had the resources growing up to learn music like I wanted to. Sometimes that makes me feel like I’m far behind my white and affluent peers who seem like they all already have 10 years of experience. But learning to use the resources I had taught me a lot. So, I advise every artist to just work with what they have and push through those obstacles. Never stop trying because of a lack of resources, and collaborate and share resources with other black and brown artists so that you can all create together.”

Currently, fathersokka is working on two projects: an album and a three song EP. The album is entitled PSYCHWARDSHOWERS. This will be a co-album with her music partner and best friend, MAK. The EP, Crying in Places, is another collaboration with artist Javo.

When listening to her music, fathersokka says that you should expect to hear a mash up of a variety of genres.

“I would say that I fall under neo-soul, jazz and hip hop. I have major rap influences, but I also dabble in alternative music and switch between a bunch of genres often. I’m inspired by Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Steve Wonder, Outkast and Amine,” said fathersokka.

In the future, fathersokka plans to expand her brad by working on her personal sound and expanding her home studio. Her goal is to “push the limits and see how weird I can take this, how weird I can make everything I do.”

To other aspiring artists, fathersokka advises “Get a part time job, save as much money as you can, get your studio and do everything by yourself. Don’t feel like you have to work with some rich, white boy to get your art our there. Uplift yourself, uplift your friends, uplift each other. Create a dream and stick to it. Work hard for what you need to own.”

You can stay up-to-date with fathersokka by following her on Instagram @fathersokka. Her music is available on Soundcloud and Apple Mucis under fathersokka.

Submission by Oyin Olagbaju

The poem entitled LUMIÈRE, LUCE, LIGHT. is about two people—One who found peace in the other, breaking out of the dark phase they were going through, and the influence the other left on them.
Oyin Olagbaju

LUMIÈRE, LUCE, LIGHT.

You, full of light, your incandescence, a conflagration placed in

Me, in the absence of light, a despondent darkness.

Within me, you burned.

Something like an inferno,

Difficult to grasp, even harder to endure.

But from the merciful slumber did you awaken me, dear.

You engulfed me,

You took over hesitantly,

My body, my soul,

Consumed by the flame that is you,

But you did not fully take over, no.

We merged;

You put your light in my darkness but allowed us to flow

Separate but equal.

Yin and yang.

In every darkness there is light,

But in light, there is also darkness.

I became a shadow,

But your light was strong.

I absorbed your light, I let you glow.

The goal was to imbue you

Till I felt you diffuse.

But eventually, forcing your light into my darkness was a mission you pursued.

So I embraced it.

My darkness became like moonlight,

A melancholy opposite to your coveted radiance.

In the crevices of my spirit did you make your way,

The scarlet glow within me, around me,

That I exude.

Until,

We became one.

Light and even more so.

The blaze smoldered,

The trails in the wind like a sweet ambrosia.

Wherever we went, we left such an impression.

One where our ardor was asphyxiating.

A passionate everything.

It shines like a beam,

A light almost blinding,

Overwhelming in its power.

Something only we could handle.

What we have,

What we are,

Is more finite as the cut of the sharpest diamond,

But just as unclear as sight through the densest of clouds.

We learn every second, and grow amongst the roses on the wall.

We turn one into many.

Together, we flourish.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ•

I stayed up to watch the sunrise.

The brilliance and calm of the most powerful orb of fire,

Rising once more to bring an odd sense of joy.

And the smaller stars of the coming morrow-

The twitter of the dawn chorus,

The refreshing air of a new beginning,

The waking moments where everyone is at peace,

I could not help but think of you.

My never ending glow.

-A.

You can read more of her work by following @yinniethepoohh on Instagram.

KING MINZLY

MINZLY is the designer behind the clothing brand King Minzly Experience.

MINZLY became interested in making her own clothes when she was a senior in high school. At the time, she was already into photography and wanted to be able to curate her own shoots, but found stylists to be unreliable. MINZLY looked to her own wardrobe for answers and started “messing around with clothes.”

MINZLY said, “At the time I was staying with my grandmother and would come home and sit at this folded table and glue sh*t to a jean jacket. It was terrible. I didn’t have the money for fabric or anything else in fact, but knew I wanted to make my own clothes, so I did just that. As time went on, I was finally able to buy a $27 sewing machine at a pawn shop. After that, I watched youtube tutorials to teach myself how to sew. The rest was history!”

MINZLY wearing unreleased KME. Styled by @kmecustoms; photographed by @j.mos; edited by @dak.ta

MINZLY makes custom, high-fashion garments. When describing her designing style she explained, “the kind of art I create is making streetwear high fashion.” In the future, MINZLY sees herself designing for events and companies such as the Met Gala and Vogue Italia. She also plans to build King Minzly Experience into a worldwide brand.

As an artist, MINZLY hopes that her art will “empower others to understand themselves better and accept themselves as they are.” She said, “It’s amazing how just being your true self can lead to having an amazing career. Sometimes us individuals are just afraid to be INDIVIDUAL!”

You can stay up-to-date with all of MINZLY’s art pursuits by following @kingminzly and @kmecustoms on Instagram.

Submission by Emani Lesane

The poem is entitled Muse, and it is about how similar the concept of love is to the process of creating art. The short story is entitled Nostalgic, about the before, during, and after of the relationship.

Emani Lesane

Muse

let me make you my muse.

allow my brush to bring you to life upon the canvas, illustrating you as you bask in your own light. your edges will be sharp, your curves will be soft, and your beauty will cascade past the boundaries of my work.

my words can please the mind’s eye, yielding an image beyond what the pupil can comprehend. what i write will encapsulate you, displaying what you mean to me in mere sentences. the expression will fall from my lips in such a way as to not disrupt the aura surrounding the subject of my speech.

if your ears will permit, let the notes i sing give those who listen an auditory variation of you. The way you leave me awestruck conveyed in a high note; your effortless love for me expressed in a bass tone.

let me make you my muse,

for in my work you will live forever.

Nostalgic

Empty. Brown skin against the cool glass of his car, green eyes staring into the dashboard, Micah felt. . . empty. A feeling of what if turned into what is, dwindling into what was. She was there until she wasn’t, a shooting star illuminating a black sky before returning the space to its dark hue once more. She was his if, his is, and now his was.

If. He remembered when they first met. The bounce in her step, the spring of her curls, the way her eyebrow arched when she looked at him. She asked for his name. He stuttered through the two syllables like never before. It was almost as if she could smell the fear on him. Her laughter filled the space between them. He noticed her tongue stained red, and the only thing that occupied his thoughts was the desire to be the candy that was blessed to get so close to her. She told him her name, Sage. It rolled off of her candy-coated tongue so effortlessly. Micah knew then and there he’d never forget it. The two said their goodbyes, and she was gone.

[If only Micah could see Sage again.]

Is. He remembered their third date. The radio played softly as the two sat in silence. Sage sat against the window, swaying to the beat. Her eyes drifted closed and her skin seemed to glow from the inside as she basked in the moonlight. Micah couldn’t help but stare. He found interest in her face and the things that made her beautiful. Sage opens her eyes to meet his, eyebrow arching the way it did when they first met. Micah finds himself growing warm, turning away. She takes his hand in hers, dragging her nail across his palm. Every worry that plagued his mind seemed to melt.

[Sage is everything Micah needed.]

Was. It was sudden. One minute, she was there. The next. . . gone. She didn’t leave anything behind for him. Micah wanted to hate her for being selfish, for leaving him here. There was no room in his heart for hate. There was no heart because she took it with her. He couldn’t have saved her even if he tried. God, what he would give for a do-over. Even with a second chance, Micah wouldn’t change a thing. He loved Sage with all he had, and that was more than enough. She was what filled him. His thoughts, his heart, his senses. Without Sage, Micah was just. . . empty.

[Sage was the love of Micah’s life.]

You can read more of Emani’s work by following her @emanizaire on Instagram.