At the End of Hell (audio only)
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I once saw Jazell Barbie Royale
Do Whitney Houston so well
I got upset with myself for sneaking
Past the cashier
After having been patted down. Security frisks you
For nothing. They don’t believe in trouble. They don’t
Imagine a gun or a blade, though
I like seeing him sweat
Now. I like how he leans
On a speaker winded while
Ralph, Johnny, Ronnie,
Rickey, and Mike do
The dances that made them
Their money. I like how
Round Bobby Brown is.
I dream rubbing his belly
My uncles are the tallest men I know.
Every doorway a chance to bow
Their heads, they love the Lord.
Skin so dark their last name is Lenoir.
Imagine growing up Black
In Louisiana with a name that French
But only able to pass for night.