BLACK

/blak/ 

adjective 

1. of the very darkest. color. owing to the absence of. or. complete absorption. of light. opposite. of white. like ink. like shadows. monsters. tar. dirt. berries. licorice. ants. like earth. buried. underneath fingernails. like rat-tail combs. the jar. of my sister’s hold. & shine jam. like bonnet. like durag. like little torn panties. a broken belt. taylor port breath. the tattoo. of some scripture. he had black. like life. beat him so bad. he turned into blues. like we cope. the only way we know how. burning. our lips black. again. kissing. all. those woods. black like city air. a concoction. of engine exhaust. blood. piss. i don’t give a fuck’s. sewer fumes. like mothers. outliving. their babies. strange. rotten. fruit. like casket attire. like grief. like liquor bottles suckled. like babas. filled with. lukewarm breastmilk. seven days out. the week. like pecola’s eyes. the blackest. most beautiful thing i’ve ever seen. like free. all my niggas. like where. all my sistas. they. like caged birds. still. daring. to sing. black. like what? is legacy. black. like what? is longevity. black. like what? belongs to me. the very darkest color. owing to the absence of. or. complete. absorption of life. the opposite. of white.