By Aldo Tambellini
May 15, 1994 - From "black becomes
woman"
they sat stonefaced
washed by harsh detergents
that had cleansed away
any resemblance to humanity
they added bleach
to obtain the maximum whiteness
& were not satisfied until
it was snowy white
they were so close to the desired color
reflecting purity
goodness & traces of holiness
if only the world could obtain such cleanliness
they became obsessed
scrubbing ajax
that the container says
is guaranteed to clean
then added more corrosive chemicals
when stains resisted
& what a glorious day
the trees were white/the streets were white
the cars buses & the buildings & the sky
& the air & the people & their shadows were white
the sun so pale
that it all became indistinguishable
in its purist of its purist form
& god was there with the red white &
blue
the only accent color in harmony
in the unrecognizable horizon
April 27, 1994 - From "black becomes woman"
she brought me bread
not knowing bread was life
in my world war youth in italy
a woman the nourishing dark color of
earth
where the wheat grows
she carried in her arms
3 long italian loaves one day old
donated for charity to the food pantry
she came with bread placing it
in the arms of an old white man
her skin a fragrant fresh baked bread
from the round outdoor brick oven
in the yard where the german soldiers
ritually cleaned and oiled their weapons
she did not know that I then painted
the whole harvesting process
the women dressed in black
the heads covered with black shawls
the wheat/the sun/ the women working
in the distance the killer planes echoing the sky
the pictures all lost when I returned to america
& learned that bread meant money
not life
the young woman with the intense gentle
eyes
darker than the sun at harvest time
gave me bread in the snow in the winter
today I saw her and asked her name
she said my name is sakia
across the street a quote painted on a
truck
FOOD FOR THE PEOPLE "when I give food to the poor
they call me a saint
when I ask why the people have no food
they call me a communist"
May 17, 1994 - From "black becomes woman"
you said a new life started
from a broken condom
the accidental high that jumpstarted it all
setting a complex process in motion
not much different than when a bitch in heat
opens the hole to the male dog
the child barks at a lunatic moon
on deserted streets where only hookers stroll by
on hoe walk waiting for that high ride
to come by slow for another fix
riding the carousel of misery
fuck the late news you say
hearing TV's bloody stream washing
the cum & condoms empty cokebags discarded needles
that's when you sit by that ancient garbage dump
wrapping your bony arms
the remaining blood corpuscles turning white
cursed by AIDS
the child's cry echo amplified
the high gets low so horrifying low
down to the sewer's flow
& the big man comes over
with the sugarbag & kicks your butt
sell your hole a million times again
& pay the price for love