z’s pslam by denise h bell

       Chris Hunkeler CC



z’s pslam

yo look down here                                                                                                                                                                                        
see me    feel me                   
up here on myrtle

man i’m scared                                                                                                                                                           
the young ones be chasing the dragon
they gets crazy violent
i'm dead if i go into a nod                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
i’m crawling  patting the cement                                                                                                                                                     
i gots to find a spike two grams         
they’ll get me to the promise land

listen  you don’t look like no hypocrite                                                                                                                                                                          
i know one when i see  one
they walk by me every  day
they be selling getting into heaven magazines                                                                                                                                                                              
going to church wearing   badges   crowns
shouting   praising jesus’ name

them people treats me worser than a stinking dog                                                                                                                
betcha they won’t be sitting up in my father’s house

yo  have mercy                                                                                                                                                                              
pat the sidewalk with me       
all i need is a spike  two grams
they’ll beam me up                                                                                                                                                                              
let me sit in lap of the lamb

denise h bell is a mature published poet.  she is a proud resident of Clinton Hill in Brooklyn, NY. denise’s work focuses on the marginalization, ageism, and other ills and joys found in an urban community. denise studied with Aafa Michael Weaver, Cheryl Boyce Taylor, Adrienne Kennedy, and Joel Dias Porter. She is a Brooklyn Poets Fellow. Her work appeared in Rattle Journal, Badlands, Peregrine, The Chaffey Review, The Tinderbox Poetry Journal. Her poem, “remember my name" was nominated for the 2018 Pushcart Poetry Prize. To denise writing is all  about craft.

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