Make Me Human or Give Me Death

by HAUNTIE

This matters because i’ve lived on that side of life that you all have made for

me

partitioned

the orphaned one

i who carry the fire from your ashes, the chains of your people,

and the residual sting from an incessant yellow rain

This matters because i realize something you thought i would never even

know!

that i have a mouth

and a throat!

my body remembers

the flesh, this flesh, my flesh is woke.

This matters because my mouth will let me be myth, no more!

i carry this fire and i carry it well and you will feel this heat

when you come up next to me

i will press you with this light until your sweat turns to boiling hot water

to relieve me

i will lick you, whip you with these flames until your body breaks

like mine to free me

and you will crawl and unlearn love and joy like i did

and you will cry and call for your God like I did.

because i am myth, no more!

Feel me.

and this flame which burned my grandfather’s house down

and this light which shackled my grandmother’s body down

and this heat which scorched my father’s spirit down

will look onto you and take you like it took me too

its

white

light

Because it matters

and this is how you will know me

Because i matter

and this is how you will fear me

Because i can be silent, no more!

to this white lie

or give me death.

4/26/2016