Poem 4 of 30 - April 6 - Letter #24 for the girl, coming

Letter #24 to the girl, coming

The nursery is painted

            bright yellow – you belong

            there, to joy

The changing station is an amalgam

of interesting shapes of wood

I am not the handy type

I’m going to build something

Today we hung album covers -

            Roberta Flack.  Joan Armatrading

I want you to have black

            women in your line

            of vision.

This is the first time

     I’ve ever seen a picture of Joan Armatrading

I’d always assumed

                            she was white…

Most recently I’ve recorded -

     Richard Blanco. Lucille Clifton.

            Audre Lorde. Terrance Hayes.

I am praying for wisdom.

The old people say I’m bound

to fuck something up

Parenting is a guessing game

I want you to have black

     women in your line.

I once whispered nigga

     fifty times into your mother’s

     full belly

I wanted you

     to know

            what we’re fighting

We folded

            your clothes this morning

We will swaddle you

            in the shirt with the map

            of Africa

on the way home

I want you

     to know

            what we’re defending

You always kick

     between us

     when your mother hugs me

So we put a picture

     of us

            next

            to your crib

I want you

            to know

     no matter what happens

Love.

         Made you.

To schedule a reading or an appearance please contact Ofer Ziv at Blue Flower Arts at 845-677-8559 or email ofer@blueflowerarts.com. www.facebook.com/rogerbonairagard www.twitter.com/rogerbonair www.cypherbooks.com