Ngoma at Funeral time (for Tata André) going to the bathing place sweeping, braiding and washingshe tries to regain herself she cannot sleep she cannot weep  she can feel the Congo’s stern hand cover her mouth

Rum and Tobacco how many shorescan onearrive and depart fromperhaps we leave a root a critical part of ourselves therein that village or barrio where that one perfect mango ripened where we danced and…

Switchback- Riding the Bright Night, an Ode to PTSD with might holy hold and grip her bellyprotectinglike a life or contraband withinshudder and tremblein the damp nighttwitch and shiverlike the darkwethide of the equinetight muscle…

Lucky Bastard They all knew I was born Of thunderAnd a river that splits In twoAnd knew tooThat the arch Of my browCould send them cottonwoods aswayHearts* That’s what the child In me named…

Aimé Rue Royale by way of Pointe-Noire DRC 1 Yes I know you from theShadows of MekamboAnd the small smell of Palm oil rubbed into the masks Yet my khush balm leaves youCopper mouthed, tumult…

Black Sparrow in heated chaos  in brightest clarity  winter’s fold  black sparrow  split the sky  you are  the long shadow man  come Come close let us whisper this  passion  flood tide you possess Eye…

Cage Bloom This is for youWho has been gone a long timeYour whereabouts and what you did are unimportant MeI have been hereWithin, but not hidden, among the Fern and Redwoods How I love…

Strange breed II- Fern Born that Mississippi ride/clawof that Choctaw’s gripher medicine had him whipped arched and bentlike her cypresspole to the water ease into the sawof the whine of the fiddle blues harp…

Rest Easy Under the Dead Pine there is no mapto that placeof big sun and cut shadows follow the edge of the palmate leafi am the red ant carrying here where God and his…