a liquor store next to a liquor store next to

a little caesars i know the dick gon be bomb.

there’s a stereotype there—mandingo myth

slave quarter bathhouse, animal animal

experiencing need & so down for whatever.

that project dick. section 8 inches. pipe

make you call the super. when in the moment

i like to tell a nigga to fuck me like a loan.

may all the hood niggas who humor my wet

be blessed with some fly shit: 24s, condos

enough & some healthcare. i swear

buddy who rocks me best gets thinner by the day.

he can’t afford the pills that keep me round & blood quiet.

i told him they got programs for prescription assistance

doctors, all kinds of help, but that would

mean to admit what we try so hard to forget.

my poor god. all kinds of broke a body can be.

i kiss him with the pill coming apart on my tongue.

i hope it’s enough to fill both of us out. we split it

like gas, like the brown blunt’s brown guts.

broke n rice

wit h bee f a nd veg gi es

b less ed wi th an e gg

sa ff ro n sul li ed c hil lin

w ith g arl ic or d irty n ot qu ite

re d bu ggin the bea ns

or jus t ri ce, wat er th e mi ra cl e

of sa lt t he gr a in s pr omi se

to pil lo w an d st retc h

i u sed to ha te r i ce

hat ed it h ated h ow

br oke it sou nde d

rice rice rice a po cket

w ith thr ee co p per co ins

hu n ger s tamb our ine

i h ate d al l of it

h ated the w ate r

gh ostbl eac hed by sta rc h

hat ed th e p uff y mo on s

po ckin g my sto m a ch

lik e a si ck ne ss

end in g sic kn ess

hat ed ev eryth ing

th at i woul d mar ry no w

l eg it wo uld

i wo uld m a rry wa ter

coul d it hav e me

wi tho ut de adi ng me

i d m arry the m oon

cha nge my n ame

to it s ho ur

i wou ld w ed t he y o lk

go ld r ice stu ck

in th e yo lk yell ow tee th

of m y hom e girls w ere it n ot

alr eady jew els

mini ng th eir lau ghs

bl in ge d ou t li ke a do w ry

shi ning

nex t to th e bi lls of m int

bov ine rib bons

co n fet t ied c ar rots