Can You Get to the Yams?

By Keeley Bernard

where the yams and the mac and cheese meet,

That's where you’ll find your heartbeat.

put it on a plate for you—

show me what you gone do.

you can touch it, love it, and eat it,

or miss it, hate it, and beat it.

I’m curious—

show me how you’ll treat it.

take one taste,

and you’ll never want to leave it.

About the Author

Keeley Bernard, Tuskegee University

Keeley Bernard is a senior double majoring in English and mathematics at Tuskegee University. She is a 2024–2025 HBCU White House Scholar, a Tuskegee University Presidential Scholar, and an Alvin Blount Scholarship recipient. She hopes to one day become an HBCU president, working to address educational inequalities and give back to the communities that have given her so much, including Mother Tuskegee.