Sunday, October 14, 2018

"Coffee," A Poetry Post













Some life stories start out
midnight dark,
pitch-black dark,
no porch lights,
no street lights,
piping hot
black coffee dark,
short black mug in a
dark little kitchen,
one chair and a
card table,
folding legs
dark.

Then,
God throws in a
little cream,
a little sugar,
a 50-watt bulb and a
light switch,
solid wood chairs and
a good sturdy table,
a cinnamon roll on a
white saucer...

And suddenly,
misery becomes
having a cup of coffee
on a Sunday
in the way that
grandma used to,
smoke rising from the
mug rim,
index finger tapping on the
edge of the
little white plate,
"mm-mmm" sounds
that mean
"Thank you Lord"
in the middle of
my troubles.

Little hints of tomorrow
make suffering into
a quick sit down
for a drawn out cup
of whatever happens
happens.

-T. D. O. Timothy

"Button," A Poetry Post













Black girls with
big busts and
wide hips need
sweaters made with a
button every
half inch.

Leave a gap
that's an inch wide
and the
breasts
don't
hide--
even with a tank--
they come
outside
and be
saying Hi
to the
passersby.

Leave the button
at the neck alone.
That's a
choke hold.
Make a scoop neck.

Leave the button
at the bottom out.
It'll pop loose
when I swag through.

The goal here
is to wrap up
what I can't warm
in the winter cold and
let go
what I can't hold
when my body moves.

I ain't got no
fancy dreams about
restraints.

No snatch.

I just wanna catch a
cool breeze and
not freeze.

No catch.

-T. D. O. Timothy