keeping up with jones

30 poems in 30 days
day 27: may 3, 2010
(photography by kwesi abbensetts)


pigeon-toed girl

she stood like that on purpose
i told jokes about pigeon-toed women who slept on their stomachs in wet spots
and she took them to heart
after taking me to that same place
that warm spot between her extremities
so far left it's ridiculous
all that's left is ridiculous
just a pigeon-toed girl in a house with no furniture
no one will ever tell the new tenants about the girl that died there
just the jokes her boyfriend told
and the way they found him crying over the body
over the spot
over the spilled cleaning solution
over and over

30 poems in 30 days
day 26: may 2, 2010
(photography by kwesi abbensetts)


the dream of them

i want to dream like
the people do when they sleep
crossing no more roads

30 poems in 30 days
day 25: may 1, 2010
(photography by kwesi abbensetts)


we vibe

we could vibe like they did in those house parties with the red lights and fucking beneath staircases
sans the fucking
there'd be no talks of extracurricular relationships and how my money's made
be satisfied with secrets
have a few of your own
you're not totally the prude they'd tease you for being
all that according to the inhibitions growing smaller and smaller as we threw them from the train caboose and watched virginia disappear like the daughter we didn't plan for
this plan we're designing will work
put on the roots
and vibe with me real quick

30 poems in 30 days
day 24: april 30, 2010
(photography by kwesi abbensetts)


this crusade

my proposal wasn't hypothetical
neither were my questions about the man with the thorn crown
they never seem to be worth much if the niggas wearing them keep getting them taken
or took
we can do this a few sundays from now when god ain't looking
he has judging eyes the old women led me to believe
none of them had led crusades
unless you include that one time against all those who refused to eat pork for reasons godly
so let's make this official for the westerners and explain it to our people later

30 poems in 30 days
day 23: april 29, 2010
(photography by kwesi abbensetts)


we gotta sweat, baby

we lay there
sweat funky thinking of names
we'd call him jee-sus
mary ain't no virgin no more
but i never stole that part of her
i never wanted to be that guy
makes no sense in flushing the better parts of me
the future parts of me
ain't nothing at the other end of that tunnel
just the discarded and banned pink and yellow pills
and the babies i never wanted shanelle to have
we put love into tonight's act
in exchange for sweat
and a future with jee-sus

30 poems in 30 days
day 22: april 28, 2010
(photography by kwesi abbensetts)


man eater

we had proof that she was a monster
the beautiful type men begged
but was unsure how to handle
so under her breasts they left notes in case they forget how to put these eggs back together
where they'd never be