(after Nikki Giovanni)
I tried to love them. Those mag-
gots that kept eating away at me.
They couldn’t wait for me to die,
crawling and chewing like it
wasn’t nobody’s business. They
said why don’t you go ahead and
die, just a waste of sin and liquor
anyway. Shielded by the absence
of light I let myself try,
try an’ love them. But
they crawled and crawled
until my eyes fell out.
Just up and fell out so I
couldn’t cry no more so
I up and let myself go. Those
maggots laughed and
laughed underneath Crocodile tears.
But I couldn’t love them. They
weren’t real people any-
way. Just no good worms
trying to hurt me.