You told him to be strong
Take care of your queen
Learn your lessons
Don’t be like me

Each time you kissed him goodbye
It was like forever
You knew one day you wouldn’t come back

He still has
That old futbol
Nikes and old soca from the day
King of Kings above his bed
Runnin through the house

“Bunfia ! Bunfia!”

Cooking, cleaning
And tries too hard to be a big man
“You just a youth,” I tell him

“But poppie told me to take care of things
I the man here,”
He’s laughing

The other day when I told him
It’s ok
He told me
“No, I have the power
of 20 grown men,”

He is 12 years old
With a grim heritage
Cleaning ash from the bowl
Saying they want cool water today
And that he will be the one to get it