He was calling in the bulls from the street. They came like a dark river, a flood of chest and hoof. Everything moving, under, splinter. Hooked their horns though the walls. Light hummed the holes like yellow jackets. My mouth was a nest torn empty.
Then, he was at the table. Then, in the pig's jaws. He was not hungry. He was stop. He was bad apple. He was choking.
So I punched my fists against his stomach. Mars flew out and broke open or bloomed. How many small red eyes shut in that husk?
He said, Look. Look. And they did.
He said, Lift up your shirt. And I did.
He slid his fork between my ribs. Yes, he sang. A Jesus side wound. It wouldn't stop bleeding. He reached inside and turned on the lamp.
I never knew I was also a lamp, until the light fell out of me, dripped down my thigh, flew up in me, caught in my throat like a canary. Canaries really means dogs, he said.
He put on his shoes. You started this with your mouth, he pointed. Where are you going? I asked. To ride the Ferris wheel, he answered, and climbed inside me like a window.
"There is no shortage of ways to support and uplift the Black Lives Matter movement—no matter your circumstances. In addition to donating to large organizations, you can show immediate support and give aid to everyone in your community fighting for equity in America."
Resources for Supporting and Uplifting the Black Community
The Bail Project: This national fund helps pay bail for people in need (including protesters). Once a client's case has ended, the bail money is returned to the fund and used over and over again. The National Bail Fund Network hosts a full directory of bail funds by state.
EatOkra: Support black-owned restaurants and businesses when eating out or taking food home. The EatOkra app will find black-owned restaurants in many major cities and metropolitan areas.
Black AIDS Institute: The mission of the Black AIDS Institute is "to stop the AIDS epidemic in black communities by engaging and mobilizing black institutions and individuals in efforts to confront HIV."
Poetry Daily stands with the Black community. We oppose racism, oppression, and police brutality. We will continue to amplify diverse voices in the poetry world. Black Lives Matter.
"Poetry is attention; poetry demands attention. We feel the breath of each word as it is given to us. And here is this stunning and vibrant poem by Brooks—a poet who is no longer alive writing about a person who is no longer alive. And yet as I read it, we are all very much here, present through Brooks’s attention to language and our careful listening."
