Poem 7 of 30 - April 22 - niggas (for avery, tai, miste)

Niggas

(for avery, tai, miste)

We spin the yarn, use the word like nexus, like

we build a next us out of mis-appropos

out of rooftops from a Brooklyn they still

tryna take from us – niggas - We use it

fluent as memorized prayer before

the smell of grits & fried fish gets too good

and interrupts the Lord under our intentions.

We see color, nigga and so we know every

story under the leather and cable knit

of Billy Dee Williams’ smooth-haired swag.

Dats a nigga for real and we know it the same

way we got taught early that it don’t matter

how tall or how rich or how gotdamned

learned we get that that word is ours

by back-break and lash and the love

we’ve had time to build and measure

in that room – that word migrates with us

to say slow, to roll around our mouths

like a tough sweet black toolum till

even our mouths are black with a nigga’s

sweet meaning, with all the ways niggas

make to say Church, with how we sure

nuff gonna find our own way to glory

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