Black Folks Don’t Like Clowns

I won’t smile just because /

I’m not a clown.

We know better than walking with the flow of traffic

or to love without love

Demand a song for your shadow

garlic for your shoes / protect your trail

but saltwater the pattern

that only the shake of bones can re-assemble

this isn’t magic

but the perfect mixture of spirits

to parch abandoned trains traveling

and quench prayers pressed in family bibles.

 

There is no big top coming / No elephant tricks

 

So, from which rain do you belong?

who organized this parade?

with borrowed drum beats

something isn’t right…

we don’t play piccolo’s where I come from

 

And some will need to pay

especially if we don’t see the receipt or

experience you as a whole person

with a moon eclipsed hip

and patched spare tire

 

You want to stop crying?

Stop smiling for no reason.

besides

 

Black folks don’t like clowns

anyway. –

 

“Black Folks Don’t Like Clowns” from the book “yardwork“