Thunder and Lightning

it’s always the calm
before the storm

the yellow sky that
experience tells you
leads to nothing good

a few drops of rain

light a cigarette and
watch to see what
the birds are doing

when you see panic
hit those tiny brains

you know the shit
is near

i remember being
fascinated by thunder
and lightning when
i was a child

i always dreamed
about my father
getting struck by
a bolt and it killing
him

too bad i’m old
enough now to
know most dreams
never come true

A Strong Black Woman

you remember the nights with the ghetto queen

a strong black woman you wanted to break you
in two but you were the shy one

quiet, but could hold your liquor, roll a tight joint,
kiss so deep that forever seemed like a trip around
the block

you always had to leave before the sun came up

no one wants any fucking drama

you didn’t mind

gunshots were just more content for the poems

you can still remember the smell

how that taste tickles your brain to this day

that soft brown skin in your scarred hands

she never would understand the tears,
the thank you notes, the random letters
every other week

you can’t help but wonder where she is now

the only certain you understand is a lonely night
broken stars, a moon that has lost its howl

thankfully, some dreams never fade

Lining Up a Combo Shot

it’s a pool hall on a sunday night

the lesbian and i are out with friends

reo speedwagon on the radio as
i am lining up a combo shot

alcohol flowing

i watched the lesbian flirt
with a few other guys

swimming in defeat, i started
making shot after shot

ran three straight fuckers
off the table

the jack and cokes quickly
became just jack

the lesbian could tell
something was up

we had a talk and she
told me not to worry

(three months later, i knew
exactly why i was worried)

i went to her place that night
and made her cum

i always look back on that
night as an accomplishment

making a lesbian cum
with just a few fingers
and my tongue

love dangling by a thread

soon to be lost in a bitter wind