8/30

Nobody cares

About Reggae Day

And by “nobody”

I mean “me”

I don’t care

If Bob Marley himself

Were going to be

Performing Redemption Song

10 times in a row

Live on stage

5 feet away from me

Though it would

Be fitting

For Memorial Day

It would not be enough

Of an incentive

For me to endure

The endless sea

Of booty, booty, booty

Rockin’, literally everywhere

Come here, lemme

Holla at you girl

Harassment

And weed infused

Oxygen

I’m a sensible

Woman

I’m too bookish

To be bothered

I own museum

Memberships

And my mama

Raised me right

I like my air

THC free

Plus, I’m old

And tired

And I needs my rest

On holidays

So, children

Go enjoy yourselves

Be blessed

And don’t come home

With nothin’

You can’t get rid of

7/30

Yesterday, in Goodwill

I overheard a little Latina girl

Whisper to her mother

That the clothes in the store

Were ghetto

I giggled to myself at first

But then, I wondered

What she even meant

Where and from whom

She’d acquired

An understanding of

That word

And what would

Motivate her to use it

When describing

Clothing

Did she mean

Inexpensive

Unwanted

Old

Worn in

Or were the clothes

Ghetto by virtue of

The simple fact that

They had once

Belonged to

Someone else

I wondered where

She lived

And what sort

Of luxuries

She was accustomed to

They didn’t seem

To be rich, themselves

We were in Hollywood

Which is by no means

Glamourous

I’d venture to say

That at least

A third of us

Were searching

For something

Of great value

Amongst the

Overcrowded racks

Of outdated fashion

Unflattering silhouettes

And poor quality

Mass production

In this sea of trash

I’m convinced

One day, I’ll find

A vintage Chanel bag

Barely used

With a $10 pricetag

Somehow, invisible

To the eyes of the

Other rummagers

Quilted leather

And interlocked

Double C logo,

Overlooked by

Employees

That’s what

I’m here for

However far fetched

We are in LA

Where stranger

Things have happened

We are in LA

Where homelessness

Persists in the same

Space as extravagant wealth

There are ghettos

A short bus ride away

From some of the most

Expensive homes

In the world

There is an innocent

Little girl analyzing

The complexities

Of class

While her mother

Pulls her along

Aisle by cluttered aisle

In search of a deal

6/30

Everytime I make

A move in my own bed

She’s got something

To say

Surly old lady

Makes me

Believe in reincarnation

I ain’t never

Been side eyed

So much in my life

I was entrusted

With a little shade throwin’

Attitude havin’

Hot mess of fur

I call her “Strange”

More than I call her

By her actual name

We’ve argued

Yes, I’ve argued

With a cat

‘Cause I’ll say

What I have to say

And she answers back

And you know

I can’t let an

Animal have

The last word

That’s crazy

This is my house,

I tell her

“I’m the boss”,

I say

And shortly

Thereafter, she’s

Back to doin’

What she wants

To do

Casually resumes

The very thing

I told her not to

She know’s

She ain’t got

No business

On my kitchen table

On my bathroom

Counter

Or snacking on

My house plants

But she persists

I walk into

The room

She makes

A speedy exit

Sometimes

I chase her

Just to teach her

A lesson

So far, if she’s

Learning, I can’t tell

If she likes me at all

Or wishes I were dead

Is difficult to decipher

But she curls up

So close to me

At night

I figure

For the most part

She thinks I’m decent

But really, it’s probably

Just the lack of

Viable options

Afterall, I’m the

Big, warm body

The one human

That occasionally

Tells her she’s pretty

And regularly

Scratches her chin

We’re basically

The same creature

We claim we don’t

Want to be bothered

With each other

And 10 minutes later,

We’re bothering each other

She watches me

Pour her food

Sees me

Fill her water bowl

Knows that even

When I’m gone all day

I will come home

Every night

And she can sleep

Comfortably right

Next to the two legged

Heater with the feeding

Hands and petting

Capabilities

To her

Love may be about

Fulfilling needs

To an animal

Affection could be as simple

As supplying a demand

Sometimes,

It is the same for humans

I ask her questions

Nature does not

Allow her to produce

Answers for

Annoy her in

Anyway I can imagine

Harass her

Until I have been

Thoroughly entertained

She keeps coming back

I want to know what

Her shady little cat brain

Is thinking

If reincarnation is real

Perhaps, one day

I will know firsthand

5/30: Because I Plan to Raise a Smart Ass

When the question of
"What he is"
Is presented
By a stranger
Or new acquaintance
I will tell my child
To say, "A human."
When stranger or
New acquaintance
Says, "I know, but
What nationality?"
I will tell my child
To say, "American."
And when stranger
Or new acquaintance
Finally learns to
Use their words
And says,
"No, I mean...
What RACE is
Your mother
And father?"
I will tell my child
To say,
"My mother
Is black
My father
Is white.
Now, will you
Sleep better
Tonight?"

5/30: Cannibal Culture

He was hungry

So he ate her

Hey, you know

Boys will be

Carnivores

She said, “No.”

But it was only

One time

She should’ve

Done more to

Fight back

Her hands

Weren’t tied

She said, “No.”

But, she really

Meant, “Yes.”

Plus, it was after

He had already

Rooted his teeth

She left the house

Half dressed

What did she

Expect to happen

With the meatiest

Parts of her body

Exposed

These cattle

They ought to

Know better

These hens

Never seem

To learn their

Lesson

You know

These girls

Can’t make up

Their minds

You know

These girls

Can’t manage

Their wants

You know

These men

Have needs

You can’t

Hold his hand

And refuse to

Feed him

You can’t

Have culinary

Conversations

And then act

All shy

When he

Expects a feast

You went back

To his apartment

What did you think

Would happen?

You sat comfortably

At a set table

You willingly

Went into his kitchen

He was hungry

So he gorged himself

On her fat

Disemboweled her

Consumed contents

Of open cavity

Cupped hands

In shallow pool

Of pulsing wound

Drank until no more thirst

Chewed through muscle

Gnawed on tendons

Until incisors accosted

Bones

He video taped it

He took pictures of her

Dismembered

He told his friends

And they told him

That they had

Tasted human

Before

Ex-girl friends

Gone missing

Schoolmates

Neighbors and strangers

A pile of rotting remains

Who’s names

They barely remember

They were hungry

So they fed themselves

Hey, you know

Boys will be

Carnivores

Hey, you know

These whores

Cannot be built

Into housewives

You’d better

Burn down the building

And start from

The beginning

You know these

Women weren’t

Raised right

These single mothers

Don’t parent properly

You know these

Young girls

Are bold nowadays

You’ve seen these

10 year olds

Who look 18

How’s he supposed

To know

Who to bite

And who to keep his

Mouth away from

It’s impossible

You’re illogical

Stop being unreasonable

The Bible has you

Acting

Like you don’t want

To have your flesh

Torn from your bones

The Qur'an has you

Thinking

There’s something

Wrong

With becoming

Remnants of meat

A man will pick

From between

His teeth

You think

You’re too good

To be consumed

You are stupid

To assume

A man will

Control his urges

It’s your

Responsibility

To keep him

Preoccupied

It’s your job

To convince him

You deserve

To keep your skin

Stay sober

In the company

Of male acquaintances

Stay out of the cars

Of men you know

Casually

Cover yourself

When you

Are the subject

Of his gaze

Stay out

Of bars

Parks

And alleyways

Don’t invite him

Over after the

Neighbors have

Lowered their blinds

Don’t travel

Where there is

No one to watch out

For you

You don’t know

What to do

In these situations

In this big, beasting

World

In these forests

Little Red,

He will rip the hood

From your head

And your scalp

From your skull

Right along with it

These women

Need to learn

Not to be a tease

Not be loose

Not to be bitches

Not to be rude,

Bitches,

Keep your pretty little

Knees

Together

You’d better

Smile

When he advances

When he compliments

When he whistles

When he howls

Don’t provoke him

He was born hungry

You know,

Boys will be greedy