‘A Love Poem for all our Beautiful Brothers’

by Folami Abiade
(Dec. 1946 to Dec. 14, 2012)

I LOVED YU

IN THE DAYS BEFORE TIME

KNEW HOW TO TELL ITSELF

LOVED YU BEFORE

THE SEASONS KNEW WHEN TO CHANGE

I LOVED YU & LOVED YU

& SOME / TIMES YU KNEW IT

& SOME / TIMES YU DIDN’T

SOME / TIMES YU DIDN’T CARE

CAUSE YU GOT TIRED TOO.

I LOVED YU WITH YR EYES CLOSED

& YR BACK LAID OPEN

TO THE RAZONR’S EDGE OF HATE

I LOVED YU WITH SOOT IN YR

MOUTH

WITH YR ANKLES CHAINED YR

HANDS BOUND UNDER WATER

& YR EYE /BALLS BULGING WIDE

I LOVE YU CHARCOALLED &

SMOKING

‘NEATH A GIANT GEORGIA PINE

I LOVED YU WHEN YU FELL THAT

TIME

THEY PUMMELLED YU SO

YU BARELY GOT TO YR KNEES

BUT MY LOVE KEPT YU RISING

& SOON YU STOOD AGAIN & YU

KEPT ON COMING (CONTINUED

ON THE NEXT EMAIL.) SHOULD

HAVE USED WORD AND EXPORT. SORRY

& NEEDING ME

WHEN YU CDN’T SEE ME

CDN’T TOUCH ME / CDN’T CALL ME BY NAME

MY LOVE KEPT YU STRIVING

THRU THE EYE OF THE THUNDER

THE MOUTH OF THE STORM

STILL YU KEPT COMING

& MOVING & DRIVING AHEAD

& SO WE HAVE TRAVELLED…..

I AM YR ANCIENT MEMORY

KEEPING YU ON THE RIGHTEOUS PATH

DIVINED BEFORE YR EVERY FIRST BREATH

& INTO THE EVER / AFTER

& I WILL BE LOVING YU

& LOVING YU

& LOVING YU…..

WATCH FOR MORE POEMS FROM “THE LEGACY” BY THE NEW

WORLD GRIOTS, BY FOLAMI ABAIDE, CHARLES MC CLAIN, FAYE

JACKSON AND REGGIE FINLAYSON. THEY WILL BE SIGNING BOOKS

ON FEBRUARY 23 AT THE READER’S CHOICE: 1950 N. MLK

DRIVE AT 1 P.M. THEY ARE ALSO TAPING FOR BLACK NOUVEAU

AND WILL BE HONORED AT THE MCJ ANNIVERSARY GALA,

AUGUST 4, 2013

Tags:

black

brothers

love

poem