For you

Yesterday I saw

A brown, leathered, woman

Stress dug craters a’top her brow

Her shoulders

Slumped towards the

Ground

A floor streaken

With miniscule molecules

Of shit dragged through

The subway car

Her child

Shrieked like a banshee

His baby teeth

And vocal chords

Nails upon a chalkboard

He clawed her face

And yanked her shirt down

To expose

A t-shirt bra

Absent of lace

Bought in one of those ghetto bodegas

For you to be that woman,

That is my curse

Metro Voodoo

Just use a pinch uh powdered 

concern an' a splash uf liquid worry, 

puff of stale subway wind will

Deafen all passengers ears 

To chilren' with cornrows and dem cavity-filled muths  

who's a hollerin' dem banshee shrieks

A shake of-- whatchu call dem? tablet's technology? 

Yup dat right 'der will smooth mammy's chocolate brow 

clear it of all dat shame & conscious of self she harvest in her heart 

Now chilren' 2/3 uf a dash uf empathy 

works wonderins for inspirin smiles

but honey be wary, if ya put even 3/4 uf a dash 

and dem smiles melt to smirks

you g'un get 'em speculatin' bout ourses ability to mother ours chilren' 

Dey gone think we done been knocked up 

Dey gone think all dem brown babes ain't wanted 

Dessert before Dinner

Lay back now,
on the table
set with pillows and duvets,
Let me undress you
from the baking cloak of your metallic sheath,
coo sweet nothings to calm me down
when I rush to devour

Let us forget forks,
run my hands down
the cracks of your body
where past loves scorched you to breakage;
But please trust me
to bite into your
molten chocolate center
where you shelter the fear of not being fully baked yet

Let me straddle
your sugar high
and nibble my lips in
my eagerness to feast on you

Just don't remind me of my mother's tears
for I ruined my appetite before dinner.

Feminist Porno

Maybe we'll meet at a rally for women's choice
or even at a dingy free humming
with teenage desperations (including mine) to be loved

Maybe I'll glide towards you emboldened
and empowered
or even you'll step on my toes and we'll crack heads giggling

Maybe I'll curl my fingers around yours and pull
you to a room filled with just us
or even we'll stumble to a corner itching
with other couples' sweaty fumbling fingers

But as clothes melt off
and lust unravels from its ball of compression
As we drink each other in
filling ourselves with expectations

Promise me that
as I pledge my body to yours in these next
few moments you wont hold me to the
standard of your illegally downloaded pornos

Masochism's Lacking

The book,
its spine loosened
and pages fluttering,
lies deserted and unclaimed.
It's blurb bragged
fantasy, every woman's dream
and they want it to be theirs.
They want consumption,
breathlessness, they want
to clench their thighs when the
man talks dirty, they want
their pants to parallel the woman's gasps
to tingle with glee at the threats of
spankings and ropes

But they only feel hollow
when the world's standard of sexy
draws hesitations and ponderings of
"Is this supposed to turn me on?"
they glance around to see if others
cringe at the promise of
plugs and whips and members
and yet the cannot find
the discomfort they search for.
And so they, with a sigh,
give up
trying to find their own pleasure until
they truly understand the role
submissive