The Divided Truth Between
the
Missus and Louisa Mae
Well ain’t that a
nice bolt of silk? I ‘spose it
is
all pastel pink like
a baby’s bottom exposed to the
world
Now who’s deservin’ of
such a royalty like wisemen’s
riches
Surely you can see the green of my eyes flashin’ bright as
new money
more beautiful than any emerald
even tho’ the
real gem’s Miss Ann,
shining bright with
cunning rainbows. . .
cause she
picked me fo’ –
a fool , ignorant to the most
special of tasks
the prim
teacher from Mobile blessed by
the Lawd
was silly to lay
with my husband but I was
stupid to think
such naive thoughts
stuck in my simple head
so I’m beggin’
your pardon
I should confer
with the accused since my mouf
don’t know nothin’
since the
truth can be crooked more than
dogwood limbs.
Louisa Mae’s Prayer
Lawd, out here only clouds and trees can
hear my pleas,
but I know you gon’ listen.
I don’t believe in much else ‘cept your
word,
and maybe Mr. Lincoln’s.
He seem to be a proper white man
since he quotes you sayin’ “a house
divided against itself cannot stand.”
And honestly, I believe the same even
‘bout a man. That’s why I let
Miss Ann name fly out my mouf.
The Missus gone find out one day since
Ol’ Freeman be goin’ out
clean as a nickel whistle claimin’ he
goin’ to the saloon.
And Ol’ Freeman always say “Louisa Mae,
the truth will set you free”.
His words curdlin’ the air like bad
milk.
So how could I turn a
blind eye to the Missus question?
I know how it is
to love a man so hard yo’ belly ache
when he ain’t beside you come nighttime.
And I know how it is to build a life
outta wood,
only to have it eaten by the fire.
So Lawd if you listenin’ tonight
I ain’t trying to hinder you.
I’m jus askin’ for a little grace cause
us womenfolk can always feel the tinder
stirrin’.
Poet
and journalist Celeste Doaks is
the recipient of the 2009 Academy of American
Poets Graduate Prize and the AWP WC&C
Scholarship. She has also been awarded an
Atlantic Center of the Arts residency, a Poets
and Writers reading grant and the Archie D. and
Bertha H. Walker scholarship to attend the Fine
Arts Work Center in Provincetown. Her work has
appeared in the Village Voice, Time
Out New York, and QBR (Quarterly
Black Book Review). In her adopted home of
Brooklyn, the Midwestern native founded the
Speakeasy reading series, which has featured
many notable NYC poets. Currently, Celeste is
completing her MFA in Creative Writing at North
Carolina State University and working as an
undergraduate creative writing instructor. She
is a member of the Carolina African American
Writers Collective. Her most recent work can be
found in the fall issue of Asheville Poetry
Review.