From the poetry collection The Gospel of Breaking. Published by Arsenal Pulp Press in 2020. Reprinted with permission from the publisher.
In response to patti smith’s “rock ’n’ roll nigger,”
in response to solidarity is for white women,
and in response to my white, activist, feminist, poet friend who
let slip
from her mouth a humorous exclamation of “NIGGA, PLEASE!”
They said I could be a feminist too!
after all, they are going to need someone at the meeting
who knows how to tighten up
all those white-girl dreadlocks
oh yes they said I could be a feminist
that is of course
as long as I don’t ask any questions
try not to mention the dirty mouths of old icons
or how proudly mother deities suffered themselves
black and dirty blue and bruised
so they could use one of the really good words
words made for the megaphone-mouths of punk rock stars
words like nigger
like everything that’s yours is going to be mine for the using
like didn’t you know what we were doing here
like go on give them your story you’ll see how it
shines
like fresh blood for the cameras
there are going to be a lot of cameras
and
they said I could help must be good for something
must be some big-toothed benefactor that would just eat
me up
articulate black girl such as myself
just the right amount of mad
Shhhhh!
They didn’t mean it like that,
no need to get upset!
We’re all in this together
alright then
put me on the front lines
give me your blackest most brackish kind of weather
this thick skin is just waiting to be good for
something
yes please
give me a nice big sign that reads
ME TOO! or maybe me too? If that sounds
better
you know? They said I could be a feminist
as long as I don’t talk about this black girl body
about that cold red body of water
about an inheritance so great that no one body could
apologize it away
as long as I don’t remind anyone where so many of the
ideas
for this movement came from anyway
no one likes a know-it-all
and yes even in this progress someone has got to
play the fuel
all of us have to make ourselves useful
and surely no one has yet forgotten how sweetly and
happily
dark bodies take to making kindling
they said i could help
they said i could be the best kind of help