i avoid your embrace for fear of immolation but
today decided to die
to feel the flesh
melt from my bones
we are grown black boys in white socks
dragging feet across carpet
we hide prophet smiles
because we know the same secret
we know that when finger meets flesh
we will be lightning-skin and laughter
shock and tangibility
we will be distortion of black boy forms
because black boys ain’t allowed to laugh
& black boys ain’t allowed to love
& black boys ain’t allowed to feel
because black boys don’t exist
for a moment we will lose
the predictability of our bodies
be all energy and truth
be telling of secrets
be book of revelations
be whole hearts
come together to foretell the end
of what we were told
it means to be a man
we will be
in a back and forth thing
where energy is all that really matters
most days I just want to sit beside you
head on shoulder, falling apart
in an arrangement of energies
that teach us touching
is not designed to kill
only to perfect our desire to die
