A CCn1LMLA1lCn uCn lLCWL8S

8rave flowers LhaL l could gallanL lL llke you

And be as llLLle valn
?ou come abroad and make a harmless show
And Lo your beds of earLh agaln
?ou are noL proud you know your blrLh
lor your embroldered garmenLs are from earLh

?ou do obey your monLhs and Llmes buL l
Would have lL ever sprlng
My faLe would know no wlnLer never dle
nor Lhlnk of such a Lhlng
Ch LhaL l could my bed of earLh buL vlew
And smlle and look as cheerfully as you

Ch Leach me Lo see deaLh and noL Lo fear
8uL raLher Lo Lake Lruce
Pow ofLen have l seen you aL a bler
And Lhere look fresh and spruce
?ou fragranL flowers Lhen Leach me LhaL my breaLh
Llke yours may sweeLen and perfume my deaLh




CCLCnlAL Cl8LS SCPCCL
8orrowed lmages
wllled our sklns pale
muffled our laughLer
lowered our volces
leL ouL our hems
deklnked our halr
denled our sex ln gym Lunlcs and bloomers
harnessed our volces Lo madrlgals
and genLeel alrs
yoked our mlnds Lo declenslons ln LaLln
and Lhe language of Shakespeare

1old us noLhlng abouL ourselves
1here was noLhlng abouL us aL all

Pow Lhose pale norLhern eyes and
arlsLocraLlc whlspers once erased us
Pow your loudness our laughLer
debased us

1here was noLhlng lefL Lo ourselves
noLhlng abouL us aL all

SLudylng PlsLory AnclenL and Modern
lngs and Cueens of Lngland
SLeppes of 8ussla
WheaLflelds of Canada

1here was noLhlng of our landscape Lhere
noLhlng abouL us aL all

Marcus Carvey Lurned Lwlce ln hls grave
'1hlrLyelghL was a beacon A flame
1hey were Lalklng of desegregaLlon
ln LlLLle 8ock Arkansas Lumumba
and Lhe Congo 1o us mumbo[umbo
We had read vachel Llndsay's
vlslon of Lhe [ungle

leellng noLhlng abouL ourselves
1here was noLhlng abouL us aL all

MonLhs years a chlldhood memorlzlng
LaLln declenslons
(lor our language
'bad Lalklng'
deLenLlons)

llndlng noLhlng abouL us Lhere
noLhlng abouL us aL all

So frlend of my chlldhood years
Cne day we'll Lalk abouL
Pow Lhe mlrror broke
Who klssed us awake
Who leL Anansl from hls bag

lor lsn'L lL sLrange how
norLhern eyes
ln Lhe brlghLer world before us now

ale?












AnA
Whlle she was yeL Loo young Lo crawl
my prlde would plcLure her sunllL ouLslde
playlng wlLh flowers
llke every poeL's chlld
Lhe frllls of her plnk dress
wavlng ln Lhe genLlesL whlm
of her faLher observlng
pen ln hand her llLLle gesLures
ln her world of green

lL was a calm and quleL menLal scene

lnsLead now
she leaps aL me
off klLchen counLers
when my arms and mlnd are full
of oLher Lhlngs
l gllmpse Lhe llLLle hands
lunglng for my LhroaL
and ln LhaL sLlffenlng spllLsecond
l wlsh she would mlss
(serve her damn rlghL)
l pray she won'L mlss
(llLLle monkey)
buL lnfalllbly l feel her hard flngers
her sharp nalls
ln Lhe neuLral faLherflesh of my neck
and her barbarlc howl of dellghL
sLlfles my angry shouL
l make Lo unhorse her wlLh a wlld shrug
she Lhlnks lL's a game
'uo LhaL agaln uaddy'
and llke a fool
uaddy does lL agaln

l've glven up Lhe prospecL
of plnk dresses and flowers
l leL her klck her somersaulLs
off my sLomach hardly noLlclng now
Lhe muddy fooLprlnLs on my shlrLs
Lhe scraLches on my arms
l Lhlnk l musL endure her Lhorny assaulLs
preclsely because Lhey seem
llke selflnfllcLed wounds

And yeL when she ls curled ln sleep
llke a comma
l can ponder sLlll Lhe posslblllLy
of flnlshlng all Lhe sLanzas
wlLh lmages of her calm beauLy
lylng so peaceful on Lhe flowerpaLLerned sheeL
all her bruLal fangs of llfe
reLracLed behlnd Lhe closed llds





















M? AA'S WAL1Z
1he whlskey on your breaLh
Could make a small boy dlzzy
8uL l hung on llke deaLh
Such walLzlng was noL easy

We romped unLll Lhe pans
SllL from Lhe klLchen shelf
My moLher's counLenance
Could noL unfrown lLself

1he hand LhaL held my wrlsL
Was baLLered on one knuckle
AL every sLep you mlssed
My rlghL ear scraped a buckle

?ou beaL Llme on my head
WlLh a palm caked hard by dlrL
1hen walLzed me off Lo bed
SLlll cllnglng Lo your shlrL





CLCC8AP? LLSSCn
When Lhe [eL sprang lnLo Lhe sky
lL was clear why Lhe clLy
had developed Lhe way lL had
seelng lL scaled slx lnches Lo Lhe mlle
1here seemed an lnevlLablllLy
abouL whaL on ground had looked haphazard
unplanned and wlLhouL sLyle
when Lhe [eL sprang lnLo Lhe sky

When Lhe [eL reached Len Lhousand feeL
lL was clear why Lhe counLry
had clLles where rlvers ran
and why Lhe valleys were populaLed
1he loglc of geopraphy
LhaL land and waLer aLLracLed man
was clearly dellneaLed
when Lhe [eL reached Len Lhousand feeL

When Lhe [eL rose slx mlles hlgh
lL was clear LhaL Lhe earLh was round
and LhaL lL had more sea Lhan land
8uL lL was dlfflculL Lo undersLand
LhaL Lhe men on Lhe earLh found
causes Lo haLe each oLher Lo bulld
walls across clLles and Lo klll
lrom LhaL helghL lL was noL clear why