Excerpts

Dennis

Death has always had a prominent place in my mind. . . . I’ve come close at least fifty times.Dennis Rodman All we want is to never die, but God loves mostthe man who offers what he cherishes. In ‘93 they found you asleep in your carwith a loaded rifle in your lap. You said …

Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman’s Daughter Got Her Period on TV

and thought she was dying. I was in Algebra–-my period an axiomnot on cable–-shamed by the red flame on rags betweenmy legs. I got mine the week before baseball tryouts,thought I was sick with dark slick shit, not eggs. Dr. Quinn on TV and me, shamed by the red-ragged flame. Betweenmy math-mad, baseball-coaching dad asking, …

Boxing Out

I never had hops, so I got on at Bertha Ross Park the same wayI kept my spot on the middle school squad: immaculatelyfree-throwing with follow through, flicked wrist left hanging for the imaginary game winner when winner meant fly girlfriendinstead of sulking solo in the gym corner like I was backat the Spring Formal …

last summer of innocence

there was Noella who knew I was sweetbut cared enough to bother with me that summer when nobody diedexcept for boys from other schools but not us, for which our motherslifted his holy name & even let us skip some Sundays to go to the parkor be where we had no business being talking to …

Catch

I worked at a residential mental health facility for children. I was part of the Native American unit that mostly managed Indian children. Resident Adam, 16, was from the Klamath/Modoc tribe. His father was in prison, mother was an active substance abuser. Meth. Adam lived with his grandparents until he started alcohol and marijuana and …

Between Practice

1. Afternoons in Florida while my favorite jocular jockish cousin suffered summer school, I climbed the tall hot fence of the elementary school behind his house to practice layups and dream of dunks. 2. I was 13, my mother was on a Caribbean cruise ship in a state of longing, her husband was on a …

Race/Race

stock    strain    family    line breed   blood   skin   shape of the head  of the pack animal    human    judge  better   fitter   swiftly to find   foot   horse   car   run for your life   around town   the block   the camp  to the top   the finish   contend compete   in   for   against the other   the not so great   not even in …

In the Land of Kan’an

Hayya 'ala s-salah. Hayya 'ala 'l-falah. Farid answers the call. Stands between two men that connect him to a row of two dozen others, to fourteen centuries of millions more. All facing al-Baytu l-ʿAtīq: The Primordial House, home of the Black Stone. A stone whiter than milk when it fell from Paradise only to be …

This Black Southern Poor Boy’s Blues

I’m no choir boy, nopreacher’s son. Fasting is never doneon purpose. Gin or thighs helps me sleepand both make me forget me for a moment.Most nights she tells me she loves me,others blanket us in silence, when even our orgasmsdon’t speak. I like Saturday night fixes,whatever Johnny brings back from New York City. I’m no …