These poems are published connected to a project supported by the DC Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs. Rebecca Bishophall was a faculty member at the February 2026 Mid-Atlantic Review/Howard University retreat supported by the grant.
Her Breath Matters
Rainbow-swirled spheres she
sculpts with breath made of giggles;
laughter floats on wind
She and I fight… still
hugs and kisses before sleep —
a must for good dreams
She still asks me to
lay with her; breath on my neck
helps me fall asleep
Dream State
O to dream a normal dream
or simply lie awake —
where everything is as it seems
no further meaning to take;
No falling out of airplanes
or trapped inside an empty house;
no talking animals of any kind
leaping flames with no method to douse;
Just once to wake up surprised
by a completely empty slate;
no complicated images behind my eyes
teasing me about my fate;
For a normal dream, maybe counting sheep,
to quiet my imagination for a peaceful sleep.
Rebecca Bishophall was a faculty member in the 2026 Howard University/Mid-Atlantic Review poetry retreat. She is the co-author of Breaking the Blank (Day Eight, 2022) with Dwayne Lawson-Brown. Rebecca has featured at Spit Dat open mic, Capitol Hill book fair, the Afrocentric Book Expo, and elsewhere, and serves as workshop director for Day Eight’s Women and Girls writing program.
Featured image Donna Norine Schuster (American, 1883 – 1953), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
