July evening & the oppressive
summertime fever strikes with a dizzying force
Like waves     the blaze of crimson.
The sky           a fire set aflame by God
Gentle strokes & bold brushes           nature’s canva
Black silhouettes rest in frame           milliseconds
The blazing ball has its last turn
& somersaults to sleep
Under its glaze the wild geese stretch their wings
& desert this sweet potato island

The scent of evening
Overrode the scent of light
Vermilion ball

Sank.

What is the tension of blood?
My father holds a pricked finger to me
One drop of red like morning dew.
Look what you’ve done.
China smashes to pieces miniscule
The sound of tinkling bells.
Shards hide in wooden crevices gleam
Dangerous winks.
To remove all traces they sweep all night.
I wear socks into rooms. Blue ones.
Tonight, I escape the whipping belt
A locked door and four white walls kept whole
I have learned to ignore the bangings.
I keep thoughts alive not distorted
My neighbors hear the screams
I will tell them tomorrow it was the TV.

Darkness bleeds into the evening sky
Black figures crawl on the streets
Chanting          whispering in unity
Holes in the elbows       holes in the knees
Clothed by the night
Blood spilling
White            purity            spoiled

Fire flickers in the form of hope
in the form of danger
In the form of death      & rebirth
A democratic nation crawls forward
Ankles tied to bricks scrape on hard concrete
Burdens weigh their bodies backward
Broken             promises from the past
Tins and cans ring loud
From citizens true to justice
A single white balloon calls        for hope
A democratic nation will not fall ––
It will be reborn in darkness
From blood on the streets stem white orchids.