In the basement of the crack house I used to visit / as an outreach worker on 121st street in Harlem, / I was convinced He refused / to travel north of 96th.
Father
A Prophecy for the First Horse that Carried Me
Conquest followed by red / and black and pale—beasts / of conflict, judgement, and death. / But what of this equine quartet—
They Call This Flower Lucifer
Same shade as fall maples, / a cardinal wing, a valentine.
Platonic Love Poem
the sun shone so bright & even, / it read to us our fortunes
no. 3 youth
concentrate & look / to see / my watercolor / palette held / in space
Swell
my ocean like a god never recedes / / but sometimes it withdraws / for a brief breath-holding / leaving the lagoon alack / / the fish gut-sputtering
Resurrection
Mother, I wrote a poem in which I forgave / your sin of omission, your fear of the truth.
Belief
Because takeoff so quickly morphed / / into landing, because the sky so quickly became a bridge and then a body / of water
God’s Plan
Occasionally I pine for a mild disaster such as a really loud cough of thunder
Psaltery & Lyre 