coiled around the earth
silent mothers who hear
their children say terrible
things and wonder
if all will be alright
smoke or the children
of fire, sometimes pregnant
with rain or flat and stretched
like the words of a lover
who will not say i love you
i think about the clouds
when i am tired i say
things i don’t mean
my anger thunder
day dark and blue
forgive me for having
to breathe the dusk
each day into my lungs
or singing along
with the radio out of tune
i am a man trying
hard not to disappear
trying hard to stay
just above the world
Bro. Yao (Hoke S. Glover III) has been Published in Smartish Pace, African American Review, Plougshares, Rattle, and other journals. His first book of poetry, Inheritance, was published by Willow Books in 2016. To purchase Inheritance click on the link below.
https://aquariuspress.myshopify.com/products/inheritance-by-bro-yao-hoke-s-glover
