1. The Exchange: To Our Flags
  2. The Exchange: The Negro Speaks of Dryland
  3. The Exchange: blue is darker than Black
  4. The Exchange: Sans Fleur
  5. The Exchange: Blindspot
  6. The Exchange: Her.
  7. The Exchange: Lint
  8. The Exchange: Reality Check
  9. The Exchange: Caution
  10. The Exchange: Rubik’s Cube
  11. The Exchange: The Path
  12. The Exchange: sTREEtS
  13. The Exchange: Butter
  14. The Exchange: The Bright Side
  15. The Exchange: Concrete to Shoreline
  16. This Empty Cage
  17. Paper Machete
  18. The Exchange: Marketplace
  19. The Exchange: One Year Anniversary
  20. The Exchange: Sunscreen Affective Disorder (SAD) 
  21. The Exchange: Immigration & Culture
  22. The Exchange: Love, Street Cleaning, & Other Myths
  23. The Exchange: An Accent Enters a Room and Says Good Morning
  24. The Exchange: An ode to Oceania
  25. The Exchange: Happy New Year
  26. The Exchange: NEW GROOVE/LODESTAR
  27. The Exchange: Wolves, Strides, and Landslides
  28. The Exchange: Honest Haikus
  29. The Exchange: Foreheads, Haikus and More
  30. The Exchange: Softness, Water Bottles, and Movie Theaters
  31. The Exchange: Algae and Understanding
  32. The Exchange: we like it here!
  33. The Exchange: tag & waiting
  34. The Exchange: spare
  35. The Exchange: Marketplace
  36. The Exchange: some coffee
  37. The Exchange: A Scary Story
  38. The Exchange: Consumer Report
  39. The Exchange: Affirmations and Sunflowers
  40. The Exchange: Autopay and A Fast Summer
  41. The Exchange: Squirrels and The White
  42. The Exchange: The Taj Mahal and Rutina de Sueño
  43. The Exchange: The Garden
  44. The Exchange: Jess Taught Me My Body Is Trying Its Best
  45. The Exchange: Jollof Rice and Losing it
  46. The Rotation
  47. The Exchange: Definitely late, but here, and Doubt
  48. The Exchange: KonMari and Yoga
  49. The Exchange: “Unexpected” and The Institution of Dreamin
  50. The Exchange: Dating a Girl From Chicago, and See
  51. The Exchange: Un alma cotorra
  52. The Exchange: Time Travel and Chasing Love & Ambition
  53. The Exchange: A List of Things That Went Missing That I Still Wonder About
  54. The Exchange: For Sale

The Exchange is the Weekly’s poetry corner, where a poem or piece of writing is presented with a prompt. Readers are welcome to respond to the prompt with original poems, and pieces may be featured in the next issue of the Weekly

Definitely late, but here. by Chima “Naira” Ikoro
After Notebook Kid by Eve L. Ewing

I missed my exit on Lakeshore Drive and I’m rushing cause now I’m late and I look over and see you, can’t even see your face you carry your mood in your walk that’s the same energy radiating from the back left corner of the room not a word spoken unless I speak directly to you I can’t even be mad at you, I read what you wrote and it said enough turns out without the pressure of participation you have time to think and decide and even if you’ve decided you don’t care about any of this you might just be here so you don’t fail and I can’t even be mad at you, your playlist must be great your ears came in the same box as your headphones I can’t even be mad at you, until now. I’m watching you walk the opposite direction of the school and I know you’re going to the gas station and first period starts in a few minutes and you are in my class except you’re not you are crossing the street I am out of breath running up the stairs when I get there and see the back left desk empty I realize it really was you and I can’t even be mad, you walk in hood on mask on jacket on ears on your headphones and you go to your desk and you never open your laptop you use your laptop as a plate for some chips and I can’t even be mad at you, I ask you if you got them from the gas station that I watched you walk to and you ask how did you see me? and I say I have always seen you. 

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Prompt: 

“Write about a person or experience that you unexpectedly gained wisdom from.” 

This could be a poem, journal entry, or a stream-of-consciousness piece. Submissions could be new or formerly written pieces. 

Submissions can be sent to bit.ly/ssw-exchange or via email to chima.ikoro@southsideweekly.com 

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Featured below is a response to a previous prompt from a reader who is currently incarcerated. The last poem and prompt can be found online. 

Doubt by Justin I Dismuke

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Chima Ikoro is the Weekly’s Community Builder.

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