ENCYCLOPEDIA ENTRY: AFRO-SEATTLEITE

                      by Malcolm Friend 

​or Seattlensis Africanus. c̶o̶n̶s̶e̶r̶v̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ s̶t̶a̶t̶u̶s̶: e̶n̶d̶a̶n̶g̶e̶r̶e̶d̶ native to: cd. other habitats include: south end, rare spottings in west seattle. intrepid in nature; has been known to roam further north into cap hill. shows no fear in spite of history. will walk down henderson under vigil of streetlight despite gossip of jumpings and worse. will herd by the jack in the box on rainier after confirmed shootings. will venture into north end knowing it’s not their city. unclear whether species has brain capacity for long-term memory. findings show they have evolved to obtain a camouflage near invisibility. this genetic mutation only seems to work in the south end and the cd, against those who live elsewhere around the city. data inconclusive as to whether this is darwinian flaw on part of Seattlensis Africanus or suggests some sort of biological memory to the species’ ancestral habitats. h̶a̶b̶i̶t̶a̶t̶s̶ d̶e̶s̶t̶r̶o̶y̶e̶d̶ b̶y̶ g̶e̶n̶t̶r̶i̶f̶i̶c̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ habitats under development. migration forced to the south end ’t̶i̶l̶  t̶h̶e̶  s̶o̶u̶t̶h̶  e̶n̶d̶  i̶s̶  t̶a̶k̶e̶n̶ t̶o̶o̶, then further south. conservation status: least concerned.

photo by Urayoán Noel

​Malcolm Friend is a poet originally from the Rainier Beach neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. He received his BA from Vanderbilt University and his MFA from the University of Pittsburgh. He is the author of the chapbook mxd kd mixtape (Glass Poetry), and has received awards and fellowships from organizations including CantoMundo, VONA/Voices of Our Nations, Backbone Press, and the University of Memphis. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in publications including La Respuesta magazine, Vinyl, Word Riot, The Acentos Review, and Pretty Owl Poetry.