No Gravity

Rudy Francisco

Gravity

Rudy Francisco

Cover Art: ArtofAndres

Ingredients

Page

Broom…………………………………….....…………..4
Tremble………….……………………………………...5
Gum……………..……………………………………….6
Sea……………………………………………………….7
Horizon…………………………………………………8
Baltimore………….……………………………………9
Skin……………….……………………………………10
PM……………….……………………………………..11
Stardom………….……………………………………12
Hourglass……………………………………………..13
Thief…………………………………………………...14
Drive…………….……………………………………..15
Daylight……………………………………………….16
Full……………….…………………………………….17
Speak……………………………….………………….18
Birthmark…………………………………………….19
Venom……………………….………………………...20
Photograph……………….…………………………..21
Black Emoji………………………….………………22
Magic…………………………………………………..23
Cigarette…………………….………………………...24
400 Miles……………………….……………………..25
Brother…………………….…………………………..26
Hunted………………………………………………...27
Vacation………………………………………………28
Grease Fire ………………………….………………29
Flock…………………………………………………..30
Gravity……………….………………………………..31
Brick………………….………………………………..32
Privilege…………………….………………………...33
Today………………….……………………………….34
For J Dilla…………………………………………...35
Sinking………………………….……………………..36
Museum…………………….…………………………37

Broom

Sometimes, I’m the mess.

Sometimes, I’m the broom.

On the hardest days,

I have to be both.

Tremble

During an earthquake,

some will catapult

toward the nearest exit,

some will find a doorway

or crawl underneath a desk

and wait for the ground

to be comfortable where it unfurls.
The latter, is how the patient survive.

You

are full of tectonic plates
that aren't afraid of shifting.
Be careful of those

who fear your quiver.
They will cower at
the tremble of you.
They will run when the hands
of right now aren't so gentle
and loving

is an act of bravery.

Gum

For some people,

the word "Love"

is just chewing gum.

It's not food.

They like the way it tastes,

the way it masquerades

behind the teeth,

the way it burrows into

the tongue and sits there,

the way it fills the mouth

with flavor that has

no intention of staying.

They can spit it out,

leave it wherever it lands

and proceed

without a flinch.

Sea

Today,

I am just a sea

trying to make peace

with all the wreckage

inside of its stomach.

Hoping someone

will accept me,

broken ships

and all.

30/30 Horizon

I hope I haven’t already driven

past my greatest moments.

I hope there is something
beautiful in the horizon
that’s just as impatient as I am.
Something so eager,

it wants to meet me halfway.

A moment that is diligently

staring at its watch, frustrated,

bursting at the seams

and wondering what's taking

me so long to arrive.

29/30 Baltimore

I heard the city had been

on fire

for a while,

but now it has flames

to prove it.

The news said "Riot."

Personally, I think

it was more

smoke signal.

28/30 Skin

This skin says,
you better put on some lotion,
says, Jergen’s is godly,
ash is of the devil
and Satan ain't winnin today,
says, don't use nothing on me
that doesn’t have butter in the title,
says, if it can't stick to the wall,
it has no business being on this body,
says, Vaseline is a back up plan
and baby oil is the last line of defense,
says, don't forget the elbows,

says, don’t forget the knees
says, don’t forget all the spaces

in between the fingers,
says, pay attention.

Pay attention.

Says, if nothing else,
today,
we will shine.

27/30 PM

I usually wake

up at noon.

I shed sleep like

the rind of tangerine,

peel myself out of bed

and carve my initials

into the day around 12 :10.

I wonder if the morning

notices my absence.

26/30 Stardom

They say,

you are nobody until
somebody kills you.
Everyday, it seems
there is a new officer
dedicated to
making one us famous.

When we said,
we wanted the world
to know our names,