Two brothers rap
in front of St. Paul’s.
Brother One
boasts of his platonic relationship with Jesus,
Sunday miracles, and baptized dreams.
He said, I pray.
I pray every day
and I pray every night.
Brother Two egged him on with a
Speak & Say That.
Then Brother One said,
You hear me?
I pray every night.
And then he lowered
his voice to a hymn
and said,
Even when
I’m high.
From Smoking Lovely by Willie Perdomo (Haymarket Books, 2021). Copyright © 2021 by Willie Perdomo. Reprinted with the permission of the publisher.