for Washington D.C.   I live in a town where pretense and bone structure prevail as credentials of status and beauty. A town bewitched by mirrors, horoscopes and corruption. I intrude on this nightmare. Arm outstretched from curbside. I'm not pointing to Zimbabwe. I want a cab to take me to Southeast so I can visit my mother. I'm not ashamed to cross the bridge that takes me there. No matter where I live or what I wear the cabs speed by. Or they suddenly brake a few feet away spewing fumes in my face to serve a fair skinned fare. I live in a town where everyone is afraid of the dark. I stand my ground unarmed facing a mounting disrespect, a diminishing patience, a need for defense. In passing headlights I appear to be a criminal. I'm a weird looking muthafucka. Shaggy green hair sprouts all over me. My shoulders hunch and bulge. I growl as blood drips from my glinting fangs. My mother's flowers are wilting while I wait. Our dinner is cold by now. I live in a town where pretense and structure are devices of cruelty. A town bewitched by mirrors, horoscopes and blood.

 

 

	"Family Jewels" © 1987, 1996, 2002 by Essex Hemphill This piece appeared in the first edition of the companion book Tongues Untied: Poems by Dirg Aaab-Richards, Craig G. Harris, Essex Hemphill, Isaac Jackson, Assotto Sainte (London: GMP, 1987). Reprinted by permission of the author, the Frances Goldin Literary Agency, and the Hemphill family. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
	Original Graphics © 2002 by Emmanuela Copal de León

 

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