9:29 Is Long Enough
Jun 8, 2020
to dance to that old song
the way y’all used to dance
with your mom, or circle the room
with a hug for everyone, big hearted
Big Floyd, long enough
to wonder how come
this time it’s you there,
under his knee, and what fantasy
he’s acting, the master
of the Big House or maybe
a big cat, wishing that knee
were his teeth at your throat —
wonder what your momma would do
watching this white man
snuff out her child and stare
back like any blank-eyed predator,
any courthouse wall.
