Ebony E. Chinn, a finalist in the 2016 Narrative 30 Below Contest, was born and raised in New Jersey. She pursued anthropology and African American studies at Temple University, where she was a McNair Scholar.

Tradition

by Ebony Chinn
              To be a stranger is to be looked at, but to be black is to
              be looked at especially.

              —Teju Cole, “Black Body: Rereading James Baldwin’s
              ‘Stranger in the Village’ ”


It is the night of whores and monsters,
but without the killings, and
we have finished trick-or-treating.

A pile of candy is dumped into the center of us.
As we pick and choose our confectionary desires,
we watch Jeepers Creepers 2.


It scares me like all horror films,
but it has its place among
gaudy seasonal decorations.
People on couch
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