“All living things must abide by the laws of the shape they inhabit”-IT Chapter 2
the meniscus of water refuses to
let go of my mother’s breasts
& Suddenly Her kitchen becomes
a fish tank Her son becomes a
prisoner condensing into bars Her
cat melts into a salad bowl & Hope
sublimes out of another black home
& Too many hungered and thirsted for righteousness
I once prayed for rain, but my God sent drought–and-helium
What is a miracle if it refuses to untether?
Is asphyxiation not God held captive in the mouth of a believer?
Good people choke on Eucharists too
God’s people choke on Eucharists too
God’s good/ people are/ light/ heads
decaying/ into/ something sensual/ and light/
regifting—
I finally learned to pray for a miracle &—
My tongue learns the science of evaporation
& My body becomes a labyrinth folding itself into an oracle-
defiant
Kwame Boateng is a self-taught poet and artistic activist with deep love for performance poetry and theater. His favorite performance poets on the continent are Koleka Putuma, Zewande Bhengu and Poetra Asantewaa. “The Cartographer Tries to Map a Way to Zion” by Kei Miller is his current favorite book. His favorite themes to write about are grief, protest, and loss.
