Author: Hayden Winston

Hayden Winston (né Hayden Winston Smith Jr.) is a Black, bisexual, novelist, poet, and activist. He holds a BSc in Criminal Justice and a Master of Legal Studies. His works draw on his experiences growing up in Los Angeles as a QPOC and the child of West Indian immigrants. He writes in English, French, and occasionally Kwéyòl. He resides in Northern California with his husband and their two cattle dog mixes.
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Past-self

Always bleeding, always aching,
Searing hate and agony,
Drowning in the deepest blue,
And dying to love and be loved,
Until I shed the old me.

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Frisco

  

Pale blue sky enraptures me

Settled on the hills and plains

Warmth of the Texas sun 

On my embattled LA skin

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Get Through the Fog

Keep steady, keep your eyes ahead,

Don’t get bogged down in the thick of things.

Darkness can sweep across your soul in seconds, if you allow it,

And chaos will roll in, in waves that seem to have no end,

But just like heavy clouds shrouding the sky,

They dissipate at the smallest touch of light.

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escape

  

roam the mountain
haunt the sky
dance among the leaves
sing a song ’til your breath runs out
feel the dirt on your knees