Your hands easy weight, teasing the bees hived in my hair, your smile at th… slope of my cheek. On the occasion, you press

We wear the mask that grins and li… It shades our cheeks and hides our… This debt we pay to human guile With torn and bleeding hearts… We smile and mouth the myriad subt…

I note the obvious differences in the human family. Some of us are serious, some thrive on comedy. Some declare their lives are lived

I’ve got the children to tend The clothes to mend The floor to mop The food to shop Then the chicken to fry

There is no warning rattle at the… nor heavy feet to stomp the foyer… Safe in the dark prison, I know t… light slides over the fingered work of a toothless

Soft grey ghosts crawl up my sleev… to peer into my eyes while I within deny their threats and answer them with lies. Mushlike memories perform

Tears The crystal rags Viscous tatters Of a worn-through soul Moans

When I think about myself, I almost laugh myself to death, My life has been one great big jok… A dance that’s walked A song that’s spoke,

The sun has come. The mist has gone. We see in the distance... our long way home. I was always yours to have.

You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise. Does my sassiness upset you?

Funky blues Keen toed shoes High water pants Saddy night dance Red soda water

When I was young, I used to Watch behind the curtains As men walked up and down the stre… Young men sharp as mustard. See them. Men are always

Give me your hand Make room for me to lead and follow you beyond this rage of poetry.

When you come to me, unbidden, Beckoning me To long-ago rooms, Where memories lie. Offering me, as to a child, an att…