*not my poem, a poem by Danez Smith that i really love*
and on the the 8th day, God said "let there be fierce"
and that's the story of the first snap
the hand's humble attempt at thunder,
a small sky troubled by attitude
and on the 9th day, God said "Bitch! Work!"
and Adam learned to duck walk, dip, pose, death drop
Eve became the fruit herself, looked the lion in the eye
and dared the king to bite
and on the 10th day, God dressed
in a blood red body suit, dropped it low,
called it a sunset
and on the 11th day, God said "Guuuuuuuuuuurl"
and the trees leaned in for gossip
the water went wild with teeth
the air tight with shade
and on the 12th day, Jesus wept in the mirror
mourning how his sons would shame his sons
for walking a daughter's stride
for how his children would learn to hate the kids
and on the 13th day, God barely moved
he sat around dreaming of glitter,
happy with the shine of it
but sad so many of his children
would come home covered in it
the parades cancelled due to rain
of fists and insults and rope and bullets
and on the 14th day, God
just didn't know what to do with himself
2.
the Lord begat man
man begat sin
sin begat a new joy
a new joy begat Leviticus
Leviticus begat Sister Rosa
Sister Rosa begat that ugly rumor
that ugly rumor begat the truth
the truth begat the need to pray or run
the need to pray or run begat the knees
and that's a kind of praying too
the knees begat the mouth splattered all over the him colored dirt road
the mouth splattered all over the him colored dirt road still begat a song
the song begat a hymn at the sweet boys funeral
the sweet boys funeral still begat his aunt's disgusted headshake
his aunt's disgusted headshake begat the world that killed the girl child
and stole her favorite dress off her cold shimmering body
and that can't come from God right?
3.
A not-hymn for her
I am on the battlefield
for my Lord, for my lord
I am the battlefield, my lord
and I promise him that I,
I, I die, I battle my lord
