Rice: Poems

Harry and Jainey

26 Harry and Jainey Them two nesting lovebirds was scheming the whole time The first ever hung in Charleston was him and her African spit was regular and traditionally went unfound It just sunk low every morning like sweet sticky rocks in breakfast coffee Regular just like Jainey hacking up cotton balls in every breath and dropping twins down her row of corn Regular just like summer come and winter go Like Harry with his hat more for eyes than any head Regular Now arsenic (disguised as cube sugar) now that was a saved and holidayed Christmas treat like wild turkey laid out fine 27 Like pig killing and adding hickory like pies all around the table (two deep) and flaky as lace now that was special So they blew the conch in the fields that day all us what was wearing croker had to go had to walk down to Ashley Street in two by fo’s to that only oak tree in Charleston that lightnin’ looked like it never would just go on and hit A live oak it was live with all th’t nigga hair hanging growing from the inside out Everytime it took one by the neck seem like it grew another limb then spit ’em out by their scalpfruit (just somethin’ more for the lightnin’ to miss) An oak tree holding on just for lovebirds 28 Hawk Harry and Dove Jainey hanged at day buried at night and not nowhere near no shade tree neither They already had they morning coffee already had they shade and they tree was ready to go for good Hanged at day buried at night so wouldn’t no work have to be missed wasn’t no holiday for burying Hangings was regular just like hacked-up spit stirred in coffee hangings you was made permission to see buryings had to wait for your leisure On camp row at nightfall (when the real hanging time come round) when the real spirits come out and spit sweet right back on the lives of Harry and Jainey Them two sweetie pies climb right on off on their sparkling own And way up there come black and alive with night 29 And way up there quiver down on the rest of us still locked-up hearts well then that’s when less than what they think gets buried that’s when careful-coffee-sippers-from-now-on try and cut the lights and send folks on home (wasn’t nobody needing to see all that) But folks who come and go by moon always come and go with or without what buckra think is the only life everlasting ...