Zanzibar

A tune as sweet as day, to settle in our bones, help us find a way , we sit side by side insane, leave us all alone, all my friends the same, before they make us face, bitter seeds they've sown, dangerous moments in any game, my eyes fill with shame, all the love we've known, the only song is blame, what does it take to praise, when you deal with stones, that bloody you and break, don't make haunted faces, at promissory notes, the moon will let you slay, their callow jokes.

Yaya

Who decides to give us rest, will a sail makes us thrill, our flight to change address, a skeletal frame, a map, some water, are we shrill, at the sight of early rain, maybe there's more to caress, than other nights to kill, or fix our battered compass, locate the punitive terrain, where we eat our fill, this last voyage to pray, shape our days at sea at best, fix our eyes beyond the rill, we will face each duress, if we're Black we won't egress, be devoured by floating Crill, by flame or water to confess, hunger drives the will. 7 poems She plys me first with vodka like a match stick on a sofa, my eyes fill with shame, in this space a firefly, a dingy bell drop cellar, then loosens first my collar, we sit side by side insane, my new friends are game, the difference in a dollar. Zanzibar i say 'they get me high', as if i'm on a plane, we thank the great divine, for all the blessings he entwines, the sound of rain, windmills spin on hills nearby, within this sense of ease she says I've had my time, the manner of being done, is itself a celebration, we were't allowed to lie. she is going home they will aid our search, throw away the rope, measure distance before we lurch, what messes with your head, they laugh, the dopes, sat in bars making bets, do they think of us as hurt, do they wish upon us death, recognize what's above ? my wrist around her glides, her body limpid, to lay upon the tide, with the herring gulls alone, their faces to the wind of someone else's purlieu, learn to dance don't get blue, ignore those cool untruths, give me just one more time. she dances on Hawaii, thats what she'd like to do How can we ever grow, /is this your last throw it reaches inside you again worms of the cemetery quarantine, resist just the same, they party every night, and you my lover throw, scenes down every lane, skim the lake with stones, each Sunday we know, when sunlight lifts the Poppies, we don't check the Escrow, or make promissory notes, far more than any keep, birds thrum their tune, she pulls at my traces, the moon is her nosegay it haunts her face, other shipwreck look for signs

Yanka

She must really want me, looking fierce on vodka, as lightning strikes this scene, off my face again, like a match stick on a sofa, my eyes fill with shame, in this place a firefly, a dingy bell drop cellar, her fingers wave Hi, on worst days I think of veins, she loosens first my collar, sits side by side insane, she is someone from the sea, she brings me first Bollinger, I hug my knees, who can mess with dignity, without a Sou or Dollar, i don't like who i've been, laughter fills the darkness. my new friends are game, different from that other place, 6 poems Zanzibar she talks of Baltimore, and what it means to be, outside fire know the score, , measure wine or the law, you can’t wriggle easy, from that institutional core, how it is to be deep certainly not worth a cry, a family on the cheap, She says 'they get me high', as if i'm on a plane, we thank the great divine, for all the blessings he entwines, the sound of rain, windmills on hills nearby, within this sense of ease she says I've had my time, the manner of being done, is itself a celebration, we were't allowed to lie. they will aid our search, throw away the rope, measure distance before we lurch, what messes with your head, they laugh, the dopes, sat in bars making bets, do they think of us as hurt, do they wish upon us death, recognize what's above ? my wrist around her glides, her body limpid, to lay upon the tide, with the herring gulls alone, their faces to the wind of someone else's purlieu, learn to dance don't get blue, ignore those cool untruths, give me just one more time. she dances on Hawaii, thats what she'd like to do How can we ever grow, /is this your last throw it reaches inside you again worms of the cemetery quarantine, resist just the same, they party every night, and you my lover throw, scenes down every lane, skim the lake with stones, each Sunday we know, when sunlight lifts the Poppies, we don't check the Escrow, or make promissory notes, far more than any keep, birds thrum their tune, she pulls at my traces, the moon is her nosegay it haunts her face, other shipwreck look for signs

Yasmin

hard A, hard E, hard O I am singing softly again, we are leaving that terrible sea, i salve my wounds and think of rain, but we are never alone, it doesn't take much energy, a witness who can never condone, my new friends are game, Americans don't do uncertainty, different from that other place, i lived there hunting bones, who would want to see, me fighting with scarecrows, my grappling forays, among the poor and diseased, we will all know someday, can we ever ascertain, if nothing scares us really, when we lay aside the rage, what makes us happy ? 6 poems Zanzibar she talks of Baltimore, and what it means to be, outside fire know the score, , measure wine or the law, you can’t wriggle easy, from that institutional core, how it is to be deep certainly not worth a cry, a family on the cheap, She says 'they get me high', as if i'm on a plane, we thank the great divine, for all the blessings he entwines, the sound of rain, windmills on hills nearby, within this sense of ease she says I've had my time, the manner of being done, is itself a celebration, we were't allowed to lie. they will aid our search, throw away the rope, measure distance before we lurch, what messes with your head, they laugh, the dopes, sat in bars making bets, do they think of us as hurt, do they wish upon us death, recognize what's above ? my wrist around her glides, her body limpid, to lay upon the tide, with the herring gulls alone, their faces to the wind of someone else's purlieu, learn to dance don't get blue, ignore those cool untruths, give me just one more time. she dances on Hawaii, thats what she'd like to do How can we ever grow, /is this your last throw it reaches inside you again worms of the cemetery quarantine, resist just the same, they party every night, and you my lover throw, scenes down every lane, skim the lake with stones, each Sunday we know, when sunlight lifts the Poppies, we don't check the Escrow, or make promissory notes, far more than any keep, birds thrum their tune, she pulls at my traces, the moon is her nosegay it haunts her face, other shipwreck look for signs,

Yola

How can you measure love, do you look to the sea, wonder if anything's above, she talks of Baltimore, and what it means to be, outside fire know the score, laughing at the Doves, driving now carefree, away from the shove, measure wine or the law, you can’t wriggle easy, from that institutional core, circumstances of our own blood, bring that guarantee, hotels provide a gentle scrub, serene as a white man's club, she lives on fault lines she tells me, when not to really rub, always act gently. 5 poems how it is to be deep certainly not worth a cry, a family on the cheap, She says 'they get me high', as if i'm on a plane, we thank the great divine, for all the blessings he entwines, the sound of rain, windmills on hills nearby, within this sense of ease she says I've had my time, the manner of being done, is itself a celebration, we were't allowed to lie. they will aid our search, throw away the rope, measure distance before we lurch, what messes with your head, they laugh, the dopes, sat in bars making bets, do they think of us as hurt, do they wish upon us death, recognize what's above ? my wrist around her glides, her body limpid, to lay upon the tide, with the herring gulls alone, their faces to the wind of someone else's purlieu, learn to dance don't get blue, ignore those cool untruths, give me just one more time. she dances on Hawaii, thats what she'd like to do How can we ever grow, /is this your last throw it reaches inside you again worms of the cemetery quarantine, resist just the same, they party every night, and you my lover throw, scenes down every lane, skim the lake with stones, each Sunday we know, when sunlight lifts the Poppies, we don't check the Escrow, or make promissory notes, far more than any keep, birds thrum their tune, she pulls at my traces, the moon is her nosegay it haunts her face, other shipwreck look for signs,

Xavier

She says 'they get me high', as if i'm on a plane, we thank the great divine, for all the blessings he bestows, the sound of the rain, a windmill trying to blow, birds sing in yellow light, you wouldn't know her pain, she says I've had my time, the manner of being done, is itself a quiet celebration, as kids we weren't alone, the Orphanage didn't try, to brush away the stain, she never passed us by, like a Schooner creaks and sighs, or a candle at the flame, she shifted like the tide, marking all our days. Men, the colour of lead, ask us can we cope, if we can be led, they will aid our search, throw away the rope, measure distance before we lurch, what messes with your head, they laugh, the dopes, sat in bars making bets, do they think of us as hurt, , do they wish that death, recognize what's above ? my wrist around her glides, her body limpid, to lay upon the tide, with the herring gulls alone, their faces to the wind of someone else's purlieu, learn to dance don't get blue, ignore those cool untruths, give me just one more time. each sea green evening, she dances on Hawaii, thats what she'd like to do How can we ever grow, /is this your last throw it reaches inside you again worms of the cemetery quarantine, resist just the same, they party every night, and you my lover throw, scenes down every lane, skim the lake with stones, swear what you'd never be, each Sunday again, when sunlight lifts the Poppies, hide her deceit/ a soul not hers to keep certainly not deep, a family she thinks cheap, who don't check their Escrow, than promissory notes, far more than any keep, birds thrum their tune, she pulls at my traces, the moon is her nosegay it haunts her face, other shipwreck signs,

Xanthia

Men, the colour of lead, ask us can we cope, if we can be led, they will aid our search, throw away the rope, measure distance before we lurch, what messes with your head, they laugh, the dopes, sat in bars making bets, do they think of us as hurt, at the Metro in New York, look at us like dirt, my ticket to the Med, is purely based on hope, not how big my cred, do they wish that death, on trains in rooms as we know, comes only from the bed, look at me like gravestones. recognize what's above ? my wrist around her glides, her body limpid, to lay upon the tide, with the herring gulls alone, their faces to the wind of someone else's purlieu, learn to dance don't get blue, ignore those cool untruths, give me just one more time. each sea green evening, she dances on Hawaii, thats what she'd like to do How can we ever grow, /is this your last throw it reaches inside you again worms of the cemetery quarantine, resist just the same, they party every night, and you my lover throw, scenes down every lane, skim the lake with stones, swear what you'd never be, each Sunday again, when sunlight lifts the Poppies, hide her deceit/ a soul not hers to keep certainly not deep, a family she thinks cheap, who don't check their Escrow, than promissory notes, far more than any keep, birds thrum their tune, she pulls at my traces, the moon is her nosegay it haunts her face, other shipwreck signs,