BAYOU

faces

"Cinnamon Skin"

"How would I describe warmth... hmm. Is it weird if I say that it's like eating milk chocolate? Makes your body tingle all over like your nerves are doing a happy dance. A wonderful feeling really. There's different types of warmth too. Bond fire on a winter night, hot shower, boiling tea. You know, a stranger actually told me in passing that my voice has a warm feeling to it, like molasses he said. I was visiting Florida for the weekend and he said he could tell I was from down south because the southern girls have a different bass in their voice. But yes, warmth... I love it. Spring days might be my favorite kind, more than voices and ovens and fresh-baked cookies because they make me feel so young and reminiscent. I couldn't wait to sweat after winter. The days would be so hot that I could see waves in the air from a distance on my walk home from school, I still loved it. Makes me think of the air condition that stayed rattling in the living room window when I was a little girl 'cuz the house AC just wasn't enough. All day I used to suck on popsicles just to stay cool."

Angel Morenos

"Is it better to be feared or loved? The age-old adage. The thing about me is, I don't give a fuck either way... But to know me is to love me. You can't help it. So for that, I choose the love I suppose. Love is less predictable. Fear is one-dimensional. If you're scared, you're scared. But if you're in love, there's so many other things that's behind it and that's the greatest triumph. Now me, I don't fall in love easily. But I love me some women, if this big grin on my face is any indication. They're majestic. We wouldn't be here without 'em, the entire world wouldn't exist without women, and that's powerful. I love them and I love laughter almost as much. When you make someone laugh, for a few seconds they let their brain stop thinking and their body take over, it's instinctual like sex or hunger and for them to trust you enough to be so vulnerable is a beautiful thing.... Hold up, this is confidential, right? Cuz I revealed a little too much, the last thing I need is people thinking I'm smarter than how I look..."

Brazil Gomez

"One thing I never had but always wanted... I hate this question so much because I'm probably gonna get emotional. Ugh. And then my mascara will be all fucked up, why would you ask me this? Whatever. I've always wanted a sister. Isn't that silly? A little sister preferably, I could brush her hair and tell her stories, guide her. From a young age, it was just me learning the ropes of the world, getting taken advantage of or abused in these fucked up situations, I know for a fact that if I had a sister, she'd never ever go through the bullshit I went through. She'd be like me but better. I'd teach her to be smarter, more cunning, street smart, book smart and to never be naïve. This world is full of sharks that are just waiting to take a bite once they smell fresh blood. I'd teach her how to sharpen her knives."

Shebazz Richardson

"My brother, Shad. That's who I would trade places with for twenty-four hours. I could experience heaven and he could have one last day on earth to do whatever he wanted. Drink, smoke, laugh. Smell ma's sweet potato pie baking in the oven on thanksgiving day. She thought she was slick but we knew from the jump she'd add a lil slip of cream of wheat to the sweet potato mix. Ma ain't fooling nobody cuz Shad figured that out a looong time ago. I miss him, man. Can't ever stop missing him. He was brilliant, incredibly intelligent, just caught up in the streets like my oldest brother, Los. Ten years later and we're all still in this weird mourning, we can feel that absence like it was yesterday. You never know how many ways you can miss someone until you'll never be able to see them again but I swear to god I would trade everything in the universe to have one more conversation with him. I'd give it all up so damn quick, every single thing just for one more hour. Thirty minutes, even."