POEM: COMPADRE
Together until hats and Sabres, scarves and Ammo belts tilt and Fall or thrown Down! Bullets In psychological Psychobable we blew Others away Like Chaff!
You dashing and
Daring and me
Quiet, dismissive, assessing.
Our foes dodging and
Careening to get ‘way
From your shots.
My warnings.
Sparing none. Killing
With kindness and
Flare. Tragedy and
Trauma. Both lived
Brushed off, scarred
A little, and so knew
Our enemies
Well.
Not versed and
Unable to battle
Similar. Spat ‘n
Cursed ‘n had to
Let us
Pass undeterred.
But harm they
Did. Blatantly. Traps.
Audaciously, withering with
Lies and supported by
Cavalry and legions of
Followers, sheep, braying,
Stinking others who
Thought we were
Outgunned by seniority.
Pseudo superiority. They
Shot down, we battle
Weary. Back to back.
Butch and Sun
Dance. You slim and
Deft and defiant. Confident.
Me heavy and
Slow, somber looking.
Attached to thinking.
Acting mute.
Throwing all, silent
Fingers of vengeance and
Despised eyes of
Demise, a Phoenix rises
From ashes and
So warned they
Burned. Mightily. We
Still laugh at their
Moxie and
With our children tell
Of bravery in
Battle, little big stories.
Inspired by your tracings of invisible marks and rememberings of days past EK.
By Michael Opoku-Forfieh
Resources Seven is the Wind by Menahan Street Band – this song frames this poem Sketches in Spain by Miles Davis Pecking Order Margaret Heffernan T.E.D. Talk Fugitive – Indigo Girls This is Love Podcast The Wolves
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