Table of Contents
Section 1 Proverbs
In summer we sacrifice our boys to the sun 1
Big Mama Roots for Everybody Black when Watching Wheel Of Fortune 2
Hillary Clinton 2008 3
When My Income Tax Come 4
To be called Lil' 5
Hal.le.lu.jah 6
What to Do If This Happens 7
A Witness: Choose Your Own Adventure 8
Wishes for the rich 10
County Cousins 11
The Clean Up Woman Responds 14
Ode to the Boys Who Once Pushed Mixtapes 15
John 3:16 makes an appearance 16
Black Folk Don't Have Birthdays 18
The Hustle Speaks (monologue) 19
Things To Do with the Eviction Notice besides Leave 22
(East) Beverly Hills, Chicago 23
February at a White School 26
Ebonics 101 27
Exodus 20:12 KJV 30
Temperature Check 32
Section II Black and Blue(s)
The Gangsta's Ghazal 35
The Baby Mamas (a scene). 36
A scolding for the brother, Dylann 38
COPAGANDA 40
Imagined Etymology #1 42
John Henry of Rustbelt (A Folklore) 43
The First Time A Man Attempts to Fight His Father (a Flash Fiction) 44
Comrade Brother Hampton Addresses The People 47
Ode to the Boys Who Die to Make Hip Hop Happen 48
The Legitimates' Villanelle 50
Momma says, "go wherever you want for college, just stay out of the south" 51
Imagined Etymology #9 52
HOWTHE HOOD LOVES YOU BACK 53
Imagined Etymology #12 56
Wallace Asks Why We Call It "The Pit" (a monologue) 57
An Honest Question 59
DOGGONE 60
Police as Pantoums #1 (Interrogation) 62
Police as Pantoums #27 (Traffic Stop) 63
Imagined Etymology #29 64
The dead unarmed Black man the police shot last week had a funeral today 65
Momma says we should pray before we leave for the protest 67
No Black Boys Die on Mother's Day 68
Imagined Etymology #18 71
About the Author 75
