R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I Think About Things

I think about
things

great and small
short and tall
how much it will cost
the interest on monthly payments
and can I fit it in my budget

I think about
things

right and wrong
short and long
the impact it will have on me
will it be detrimental to my family
benefit my people
today
tomorrow

I think about
things

dark and light
strong or slight
will it bring me immediate star status
no questions asked at the velvet rope
unlimited bottle service
preferred table in the back corner
facing the front entrance
the front entrance
never sees my back

I think about
things

young and old
bought and sold
random thoughts running through my mind
anything sparking a memory and a comparison
maybe something I got away with
youthful indiscretions I s...

It Comes For Me

I detest the taste of it

it's unpleasant aroma set before me
wanting to turn away and ask for a replacement
reheat it to a more golden brown crust
or
just up and demand a refund
walking away
with the intent on providing the most adverse review on social media
regaining my senses
writing each word with malicious intent
regretting nothing
monitoring for the many
“likes”
I am sure to follow

not supposed to hate
not what I was taught yesterday
right after some proverbial golden rule thing
but 
it touches a nerve
itches where I can’t properly contort my elbows
and reach that spot with sharpened jungle fingernails

I look it in the eye
after the fact
after the screams
after the moans
dissatisfied
what was I thinking at the time?
cigarette smoke clears ...

Clean

was once a poet

then survived the rinse cycle

writer of poems

Don't Get The Wrong Idea

don’t get the wrong idea
when you read the words I write
and listen with attentive ears
to the words I speak

just because you saw me dancing in the street
and celebrating for days on end
when I heard that afros
black panther tee shirts
and berets are back in style
I have no plans to burn down your houses
your cathedrals
your temples
your mosques

if I happen to ask your daughter to a movie
or find the house at the end of your block
quite attractive
there’s no need to call in the national guard
sign petitions
or rush to the pharmacy for an immediate refill of tranquilizers

I am celebrating who I am
where I came from
thanking my God every day
that He chose me to be
black
and you
whatever you happen to be

in fact
I invite you to celebrate with me

and if you teach m...

Next Of Kin

I
did not 
could not prevail against the gates of hell
knew I wasn't flying the friendly skies
arriving at the heavenly gates
had no defense for it
a tormenting
slow
painful death I suffered in the early hours of the morning
too early 
for them to come and take me away
to early
for someone to pen a decent obituary
story of my life
the roads less travelled
and the broad highways I was told to stay away from
the good
the bad
the indifferent
I saw the lights on the side of the road
stopped in to many an establishment I shouldn't have
sat myself down a spell
and overstayed many welcomes

when they write my obituary
watch for pieces of parchment succumbing to flaming embers
a broken black pen
with black ink
dripping 
staining the wooden parquet floor below

J...

Message In A Bottle

these words might find you
or you may find these words
one hundred years from now
or maybe more

it might find you somewhere inside my house
a silver box in the basement
or under a loose board in the attic
there will be no lock on it

it might find you as you weave through cobwebs
inside my unused garage
in the back seat of a car covered in layers of dust
manila folder in between the seat cushions

it might find you somewhere in the backyard
on a spring day in the future
as you plant flowers or flower seeds
the soil will be quite fertile

it might find you on some internet site
if such a thing exists in the future
a casual search of writers from my today 
subject for a school class project 

and if these words find you
or you happen upon these words
one hundred years from now
or maybe more

th...

People, Places, Thangs

poem
tucked neatly and discretely away
underneath three upside down walnut shells

people
places
thangs

carnival sounds and tasty Caribbean ware
colorful
festive costumes surround us
contemplating

it is about you?

watching me shift the shells
slowly
accelerated

be patient
in a minute I will give you the chance to overturn one
uncovering the truth

was it about you?
somewhere with you?
something we did
somewhere over the rainbow
far
far
away?

it made me incapable of sleep last night
until it found its way on my note pad
and underneath
one of these empty walnut shells

a game of chance
for sure
and even if you pick the right one
I am not obligated to tell you the truth
a writer of poems
has that privilege

so

step right up
take ...

Short Order Poem

they came in
famished
this place either highly recommended
five start positive reviews
or the first thing they saw at 2 a.m.
open
with bright flashing neon lights seen from off the main road

the aroma was quite pleasant
settling into the red vinyl cushion seats
met with a smile by the waitress
discretely checking her watch
shift ending in another thirty minutes
and then
she would exchange the warmth of room
pleasant aromas inhaled for the past seven hours
for the chill of the early November evening

menus placed before them 
paper placemats
freshly cleaned utensils 

famished, they were
could have ordered the entirety of 
all the appetizers on page one
half the entrees on page two
washing them down with something cold
carbonated
still saving room for the deserts on the back page

House Money

if I were a betting man
and I ain't

desperate in my addictions
gambling hotline number on speed dial
counselors know me on a first name basis
we’re all mutual friends on Facebook
TikTok
or whatever

if I were a betting man
and I ain't

midnight forays into my daughter's bedroom
breaking and entering
unarmed robbery
forcible abduction and rape of her precious piggy bank
defenseless on the nightstand
appendectomy by sledgehammer
its contents strewn across the garage floor

if I were a betting man
and I ain't

my phone storage struggles to manage
all of the betting apps installed on my android
direct deposit
equally distributed
equally funneled
the rent
the car note
Christmas toys and birthdays
food on the table can wait

if I were a betting man
and I...

Touche

I was not really unfaithful
or having a cheating moment
a relapse of the days
or more like
uneven
gloriously blissful
intoxicating and
unapologetic nights
when I approached her shores
to sow my wild oats

and you were up and about
doing this and
doing that
no telling expression on your face 
as I sat here
ashamedly unapologetic about my 
unintentional moments of unfaithfulness

and I am not sure what lit the fuse
something I saw on TV
Something out of the blue 
made me think of her and that moment 
or
moments we had so long ago
rising early
to make the donuts with 
extra oats in the ingredients

her smell
her touch
the aroma of the aftermaths 
it came over me
I wasn’t looking both ways 
before I crossed the street
...