Sunday Eclogue
when the grazing lambs are coerced into uprising
only to slaughter themselves
the rapacious wolf will feed the eviscerate to its spring
then nourished on fearful blood,
glutinous seeds take root
the droste effect bounds into itself
indifferent to right or wrong
then canting charges mount bully pulpits
standing straight and tall
mouthing dross and toss
go here we again
again go we here
we go here again
but hollow oblations
will
return to us hollow
*
Daily Bread
beatin’ out my chops trying to taste a hook today
might even consider a rhyme
I put a ladder on the roof of a second story cribish in my neighborhood
climbed to the top rang
thought I’d close in on the high beams while I was up tharr
get a fresh perspective on the flows and woes of the majesties and tragedies of this organismic theory of existence
the owner called five o ‘cause I wasn’t invited to his shelter at home party
his kids thought I was soul Santa Baby come real early tryin’ to squeeze down the bricks
don’t ask me why (I don’t wear red as a rule)
I had my mask and my flask but neither one was working in my favor
I left a $65 six footer up there for the local handy man to disinfect on another day
beatin’ out my chops for a hook
made my escape bee-fo five o did show
threw a line in my front door to stir up a plot
told my kids they weren’t mine to see what they thought
“you’re lyin’ daddy – daddy don’t play like that.”
beatin’ out my chops for a hook
jumped monk with mingus for the stories they tell
I keep comin’ up short anyway
ready to take me life in me hands
my pencil is sharp but my haied is dull
maybe I’ll file for divorce in a kangaroo court
see what’s jumpin’ with that
worth a few lines of dramatic tension
beatin’ out my chops for a hook
she might call my bluff huff and puff
I’ll tell the judge that that there ain’t ma name
better yet I’ll go spit in the ocean
then drown my fool self
let the beach clad ho-dads throw me a line
gotta be a hook in that
I’ll hijack the goodyear blimp
crash it into empty dodger stadium
write my memoirs from sang sang
by hook or by crook
got a title so far
*
Black Is The New Black
chocolate brown skinned sister-in-law sue caramel dipped uncle
eustes coal black barber bill high yellow yvonne upstairs passing
for white alright red bone simone
half-caste hattie and all shades in between grace the melanin
palette of spiced dabs
see us now
under a light
call us up
send a message
ask how we’re doin’
only one you know?
ok, thanks
now what?
make your sign
go out in the street
make us a ceo
cast us in every role
apologize for your lethargy
“give us” our blues back
“give us” a closer look
never mind
keep it
tomorrow is another day
out of the dirt flowers grow
we gonna be a’ight