Juanita Tyler’s deleted son

  

what is your thing with privates ?

privates of

black

males

private

black

mail

delivered

in the form of

hard punch

battery

officer’s dry rage

a clinging

vine

of strangulating

envy

threaded to

thigh muscle

like the

serpent

wound

around

the

symbol

for

Western medicine

 

Sheriff’s

parlour

ante

room

the corridor

outside

shower stall

at

Sobibor

Didn’t care

that

I was there

my poor child

I saw

who went

in

screams &

moans

not

his

baby cry

moans

of

man

Jesus have

Mercy

all

utters

my

throat

and box

for

voice

 

to make

it

real

the real

real

overseer

deal

a deputy

whupped him

wid a strap

for

humbleness

impeachment

fear

was

used

a

razor

tool

they

kicked

him

in

his

privates

Oh Jesus

have

Mercy

no

other

sound

could

I

 

what is

this

thing

with

private

parts

must

be

too complex

for me

to

know

more

reasons

than

snow

in

snow

globes

show   Mama they kicked

me.

one kicked

me

in the front &

one

kicked me

in the back

to destroy

life

future life

obliterate

any

wife

who might be waiting

there

 

what

is

your

thing

privately

twixt &

tween

you &

you

procreation

tools

for making

ancient

memories

of

foreign

obsidian

village

women

stomped

shipped

cargoed

violated

drowned

breasts

suckled

injuriously

to

make

a

buck

you

the

buck

what

animal

animalistic rage

akin

to

dancing the slaves

wit

anonymous

penetrations

 

no

such

critter

has

been

sculpted

by

God

O god

O Jesus

Mary

Couldn’t believe

what

they

had done

to

my

baby

to force confession

vomitous

falsehood

implausible

suspect

impossible

crime

government issue

Colt

a police-

man’s

Gun

 

 

before

no gun

on bus

no gun

george jackson’s

Afro

no gun

glinting

in the sun

no gun

search him

before

no gun

frisk

after

no gun

in the electric

chair

they

sentenced him to

no gun

don’t know

where

the police

got

that gun

from

but they didn’t

get it

From

MY son

railroad

hunt club

downpour

hound dog

swamp thing

run

til

we get to

the sun

 

they didn’t

have

no kind

of proof

against him -

more

obsession

with

the proof

of

truth

would

be

right

&

nice

a son

did die

was killed

chaos

reigned

just

the same

as

a

million

nights

upon

the

sea

passages

of nightmares

 

it’s

hard

we know

to

not know

how

pin it

find

someone

to strap

with belts

to pin it

on

someone’s

son

sullen

song

a

boy

was

killed

swirling

madness

the thing

was done

government

issue

gun

stolen from

the firing

range

where

policemen

shoot

the sheriff’s

pun

 

 

lost

control

control

the loss

put

blame

to

pay

the

cost

policeman’s

error

buried

deep mind

hoar frost

punish

Gary

no proof

against him

beat him

merciless

strap

him

belts

electric chair

redemption

for accidents

policeman

sheriff deputy

there

 

 

what is your thing with privates Juanita

private

death

strangled

outrage

private illegal

incarceration

dangling noose

all private

dangling

loose

private

secret

lurking

in the brain

of man

whose

gun

went

off

in chaos

smoke

he

hopes

he’s dead

so it will

stay

PRIVATE