Rusty cowbells clang
like trash cans on collection day.
Rattlin’ The Serpent’s tale
stories of my family’s history
No closed legs
unwed teenage mothers
Our plague
spreads like a forest fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Vibrate the city
Bang on her goat skin drum.
Glued to the street,
Full round caramel breasts
bounce to the beat
Feel the heat
The Serpent slithers near her feet.
“Ghost move”
to the back yard party,
dark as nightmares.
The Serpent stares.
Heart racing,
Loud panting,
Music playing…
“I have a hang over,”
from those damned rusty cowbells.
Victory
she made
Her first child
to the music of K.B.
and continues
our family’s
legacy.
Music is My People
©copyright Tia L. Clarke 2007
