In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Salt Lisa, Leona, Loretta? She's sipping a milkshake In Woolworths, dressed in Chiffon & fat pearls. She looks up at me, Grabs her purse & pulls at the hem Of her skirt. I want to say I'm just here to buy A box ofEpsom salt For my grandmama's feet. Lena, Lois? I feel her Strain to not see me. Lines are now etched At the corners of her thin, Pale mouth. Does she know I know her grandfather Rode a white horse Through Poplas Quarters Searching for black women, How he killed Indians & stole land with bribes & fake deeds? I remember She was seven & I was five When she ran up to me like a cat With a gypsy moth in its mouth & we played doctor & house Under the low branches of a raintree Encircled with red rhododendrons. We could pull back the leaves & see grandmama ironing At their wide window. Once Her mother moved so close To the yardman we thought they'd kiss. 6 N EON V ERN A C U L A R What the children of housekeepers & handymen knew was enough To stop biological clocks, & it's hard now not to walk over & mention how her grandmother Killed her idiot son & salted him down In a wooden barrel. 7 New Poems ...

Share