lips to feet
they started with the lips no the teeth the two
the gap dug bone finger between the lips pried
as Alabama daylight no wait—
do not forget with these words you have breath
does it snap do you struggle now for breath
and then there is the neck
am I a house a field or a water nigger
they tell me we are all something
are you a house or a field nigger
you are all something
you will be a great debater you will be a grave digger
testing flex you will be a footballer
like hands cupping a brown boys breast
and can we not be taught to move beyond
they are the same man
the I am sorry for that man and I am angry for this one
to live in two places at once
and haven’t we been taught
as to have become unpublishable
that word that has become so simple
only like freedom
longing for nectar that tastes
to belly swollen from hunger
beyond castrated with distinct care testicles
that would soon move
hanging as Christ on cross above hands
the charred body of a negro
a plane old white man cloaked
mine is a man outside my window
outside their window
my ancestor was a white man nearly half of me
aren’t we taught to be scared of monsters
by delicate sewing hand
sheered from parchment
shrivel as fuzz from paper to be plucked
fingers around thighs
meeting monsters breath
blacker than the air at night to a child after
and didn’t each hair on the body then
its breaking point
paper stretched beneath water to its pulp
bark as paper as brown thin
dry and cracking as paper after
squeezed tightly to skin so
tight tight to thin stretching thighs
up leg they gripped dry appendages
fingers between ash toes rubbing
they scrubbed soot toes jammed
the worn shoes the stinkin socks no inch was safe
they started with the feet removed