Walk help rip palm tap slop proper lewd alter step ape knapsack quarter skit deep fresh lost back map swoon vent sweep uptake cook rid bounce they never ate seep peas coated freed goof justice hoof beast jest hot hack want it’s on
Sprawl
Taste orange bat leaf cook railroad indeed only backwards spell happy sink lounge lift swarm ankle breathe malarkey apple render tackle realm instinct benevolent intruders swallow meander box sleep tapping stoop prop elm innards talent leverage minuet parrot bleak
A Reflection on Juneteenth
Crimes unimaginable
Sins unfathomable
Wrongs not righted
With an apology,
A soft word,
Or the stroke of a pen.
Pain to the deepest parts
Of the heart and soul,
The very fiber of one’s being,
A wound that doesn’t heal,
But rather cuts deeper
With every smile,
Every handshake,
On every pay day,
Every trip to the grocery store,
Every night at mealtime,
When they look at their children,
When they look at ours.
Privilege continues
Despite the lip service,
Despite the promises,
Amidst the meager gifts,
The dregs of easy charity
From the tatters of a bursting purse,
The guilt trip laid on thick
To the middle class and even
The working poor.
Those that lack for food,
Clothing or shelter,
Living barely day to day,
Not knowing where one’s next
Meal will come from.
And at the church the preacher
Says try harder, pray more,
Save your dollars
So you can send your little ones
To a good college,
Make them study,
Keep them out of trouble,
Tell them you love them,
That you’re proud of them
For that report card.
What do you say
When the white kid
Calls them the n-word?
What do you say
When you don’t have a job
Because you refused
To kiss your supervisor’s butt
When he would talk to you
Like you were nothin’,
Just a cog in his machine,
A disposable, replaceable,
Optional, neglectable,
Insultable, disrespected,
Used, abused, tossed out
To the street
Like so much garbage,
Black man?
Power
Wrong meets right.
The fight is strong.
Laugh, they will.
Cry out, they must.
Shout, at the top of their lungs—
Justice must prevail.
So many innocent lives
Have been crushed by the fist
Of the oppressor!
So many suffer
Because of the greed
And the arrogance
Of the powerful.
The powerful?
Who is powerful?
What is power?
Don’t you know that
The wind has changed course
On this hot, dry day.
The wind! The water!
The earth! The animals!
The birds! The insects!
The trees! Yes, even the trees!
Look at an old oak tree,
And tell me about power!
Look at a rushing stream,
And tell me about power!
Watch a lion kill its prey,
And tell me about power!
Is a gun, power?
In the hands of a six year old, a gun is just as powerful as in the hands of a grown man!
A gun is just a tool.
It’s what you do with a tool
That makes it useful.
It’s what you do with a tool
That makes it powerful.
And when a thousand voices scream,
That’s power!
When the people speak as one,
That’s power!
Don’t be afraid.
Be excited!
Be joyful!
Be glad!
For power has come to the people,
And they will not be denied this moment.
They have prayed,
And they have worked,
And they have suffered
For this moment.
Listen to the wind blow
Through the trees!
Justice has come like a mighty rush of wind,
And anything that’s old, anything that’s weak,
Anything that’s not tied down tight,
Is gonna blow away!
Those old tricks, old ways,
Cowardly words, weak attitudes,
Straw men beware!
The wind of justice has come to blow you…
Away!
Dirt
Realm twist read into everything earn your doctorate make a sting in the laboratory or the wrestling ring close the envelope seal my fate yeah you knew what you were doing instantly the taste of blood such a temptation those white walls were too clean they needed some dirt
Lost
Add plus puss lust real macaroni and cheese least of these ramen queen lean meal quiz school took long wait cough wheeze gasp spit leave run around with those ones you know the kind loose and ready goose and teddy lost
My Heart
Write pen knife blood ink paper airplane pilot stone temple crowd singing guitar drums bass I hear it I feel it in my bones these bones are alive these bones dance to the beat of the setting sun the howling moon wolves teeth flesh blood and so it goes in my heart.
A Public Reading
Lifting up to
Turn a spark—
Didn’t think through it,
At least not that far.
Standing up
With knocking knees—
Kinda nervous…
“It’s a breeze!” Yeah,
That’s what they say
But they’re not me.
Please god help me,
I desperately pray.
Hmmm…
Now what do I do?
They’re looking at me.
“We’re waiting for you,”
They say, impatiently.
But I’m not prepared
To put my best foot forward,
So I stall a bit.
“I’d like to start,”
And I clear my throat—
“With one I wrote
A long time ago.”
And they are listening,
So here I go!
Elegy
Stained glass tear drops fall
Echoing a loving presence here
For all to endure, press on.
One passed onto another life
Seems so small pop is gone
But remains in minds and
Hearts of family and friends
Cooled out semi freeze blows
Trickling bullets of triumph,
Tribute and torrents of rain
Separate for the grand man
…
Father son and soldier in
Crushed bathing suits of blood
Honor guard leads stars and
Stripes, colors fly. Horses
Ride nearby come join the
Army, boys such sad intentions
Never wished it wouldn’t end
Never glimpsed the magic
Behind his handshake and
Choreography make us laugh
…
Dad come on strike with me
A jolly old tune follow in
Step on my command ready?
Sink and drive and glide
On by my facial whistle try
Mine haven’t tossed their backs
In time to go the distance
For my Kiwani fine day to
Celebrate a man’s coming and
Going we all appreciate your
Love and care we salute you
…
Sergeant major on top of
The front runners collide
Attack bring em back in
One piece please no thank
You for my pride I give
Myself until I die oh
So easy to lose touch
Not contain my cheers
Hoorays and woes steering
Through the days and
Nights come again thrifty
…
Young Boy Scout badge on
Training for life saving
Merit badge cling tools
Red roses songs and so
Much memories frail and
Tough inside good byes never
Enough man and wife
Son and daughter raise
The right hand and watch
As he stands among us
Strong and free: Kenneth
Harvey Kuhns my grand-dad.
Leaving You
Leaving you here.
Stop. I am here.
Close your eyes.
Come. Be with me.
Enveloped in the soft petals
Of a dwindling iris.
Tossing and turning
All night in my bed.
Realms unleashed.
Following you down,
Down the cold, dark steps,
Into the dungeon.
It is here,
Where madness thrives.
A small token
I leave with you—
Crumbs of bread
Falling into a withered hand.
Stumbling along the sidewalk 