I wanted to write
for the spice-heavy ages
filling the pages like a stuffed turkey
in a language the masses
-- but before I
embarrass myself shut up
shut up for the sake of the masses
for the sake of a fantasia
of an African gourd at a table
and I sit at the head
a puppet king pantomiming
silently proclaiming
let the people be allowed
to supper on rice, patat, legim, and cheeses
or read at the table.
*author note: patat (sweet potato) and legim (stewed vegetables) are traditional Haitian foods.
Author Bio:
Darryl Lorenzo Wellington is a poet living in Santa Fe, NM, and his poetry has appeared in Boston Review, Chiron Review, Pedestal, Turtle Island Quarterly, and Matter Poetry, among other places. He is also a journalist whose articles address race, class, and poverty issues. His articles often appear in The Crisis Magazine, the official publication of the NAACP.
for the spice-heavy ages
filling the pages like a stuffed turkey
in a language the masses
-- but before I
embarrass myself shut up
shut up for the sake of the masses
for the sake of a fantasia
of an African gourd at a table
and I sit at the head
a puppet king pantomiming
silently proclaiming
let the people be allowed
to supper on rice, patat, legim, and cheeses
or read at the table.
*author note: patat (sweet potato) and legim (stewed vegetables) are traditional Haitian foods.
Author Bio:
Darryl Lorenzo Wellington is a poet living in Santa Fe, NM, and his poetry has appeared in Boston Review, Chiron Review, Pedestal, Turtle Island Quarterly, and Matter Poetry, among other places. He is also a journalist whose articles address race, class, and poverty issues. His articles often appear in The Crisis Magazine, the official publication of the NAACP.
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