Blues Haiku
for Big Maybelle
big boned brown baby
wif great boomin voice like God
talkin through bushfire
girl, whatchoo gon do
wif all that voice, all that ass
no place to sing/sit
leave home at fourteen
thinkin you grown but ain’t
voice more grown than you
ma named you mabel
they renamed you Big Maybelle
nobody ask you
you gon swallow pain
shoot death in your veins, whisper
resist
on your lips
sing don’t you wish yo
woman had great big pretty
ol
brown legs like mine?
gon wish you was some
body woman in this great
big world not your own
ain’t nobody gon
know you put others to shame
wif your singin self
made billie say i
ain’t goin on after her –
find another fool
showed the Apollo
to respect immense talent
when you filled their stage
brought women to tears
caused men to kiss your flat feet
sing for your candy
sing for your supper
sing for small dimes in small dives
sing for salvation
like how they found you
big boned brown baby wif great
boomin voice like God.
