her aint even at de funeral
[a do-over]
for Mr. Douglas
been screamin all night god why daddy gone
dress all distress(d) hair dyin fo(r) a com(b)
tussy done los(t) its hold on her her stank
bruh try to lif(t) her off flo(or) but cant
ma’dear say leave her on de flo{or) we late
dress steam(d)-press(d) miss-my-man bake(d) on her face
& den her yell joe we leavin den stan(d) still
her forgot dat quic(k) her man’s deff real-real
now ma’dear join sis’belle screamin on flo(or)
dey cabaret to prove who luv(d) joe mo(re)
Copyright © 2023 by avery r. young. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on February 20, 2023, by the Academy of American Poets.
“Inspired by a conversation with director Timothy Douglas, ‘her aint even at de funeral’ is a sonnet that exposes a competition in love that mutual loss can’t and won’t resolve. Consequently and unfortunately, the loss issues forth a grief that only ignites even more competition. The poem braids sadness, dramatics, and comedy in the midst of grief in this African American family. The rhyme scheme offers a sense of folklore.”
—avery r. young
avery r. young
