delilah lets go 

come back to bed, you whisper, already 
half-soaked in dreams. the shears lie 
on the windowsill, wink playfully in the night’s light. i kiss
your freckles & respond 
with a promise, later 

the candelabra raises an eyebrow as i turn 
the corner. consider my choices 
even we, exotic women, are tempted 
by the wind. before the lure of duty can blind me, i blow out
the quartet. stew in the moonless midnight 

i want to be stronger, for you, than you 
will ever be. maybe i can lose 
the early hours of day lying 
with you, not to you. perhaps 
your lifelong curls should remain 

so, the twenty silver pieces are returned 
to the doorstep. i peel the burden off my fingers run,
aching, to you & burrow 
in your arms. you startle, only half-awake. kiss me quiet & we
cling through our morning 

your eyes, exactly how i left them, singing in this
version, the judges forget about us 
& the scripture does not mention us 
not even once—exactly 
as the songstress promises

Tramaine Suubi is a multilingual writer from Kampala, and a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Her forthcoming debut is a full-length poetry collection titled phases, which will be published in January 2025. Her forthcoming second book is also a full-length poetry collection titled stages, which will be published in January 2026. Both books will be published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins.