“before you succumb to doom
momma look around / we seek your embrace…”
a letter from Nola (2018)
first, one cracks then penetrates a ruby shell
an outcaste artist parleys, breaks as well
freedom’s causalities sling lyrical dope–
the levy mourns hope,
but continues to flood streets,
its neighbor continues to burn, baybe
an outer crust remains tarnished
jaded as distant memory
an array of pastel buildings
recount catastrophic events
thumbing her pain –
time recoils history
a symphony of horns escape
forgotten lips, here they come
marching in, an allusive spunk once sung
who dat natives of common land
cemeteries float – past poverty line
tourist lounge within French quarters’
salivating over Café Du Monde beignets
while the bayou reeks of summer 1964
————
before the gods emerged
feet engraved in sand –
below the tower watch, we pray
before you succumb to doom
momma look around
we seek your embrace
perch past the shadows of death
massaging the heart of
men, follow its trail
the sky is falling,
yet again
stars tattoo our arms reminiscent
of your final request
————
Poem © Kofi Antwi
Image by Stefan Keller from Pixabay