Nothing Black

Nothing Black
By Ieisha McIntyre

There is nothing Black about sitting under a McIntosh tree
waiting for hours to have an apple,
Drop –
On its own,
And,
Out of respect for gravity.

But, in my childhood, legs too short to pick apples from their resting place,
I was grateful for the sacrifice and ate even the core.
As a child,
I waited,
just so.

And stand here, an adult and black.
Surprised at the shock of others
when they find I have a love of apples.

Still.
I rely on the patience of my childhood.

All Rights Reserved © 2009

Loving

Loving
By Ieisha McIntyre

I only pull away
When you touch me because --
I want to pull you apart.

Climb in your skin,
feast on your heart
– take in
All that your smile promises
and bring to an art
this cannibalistic form
of lovemaking.
This loving in parts.

Loving bits and forgetting the whole –
you know?
Loving the sinner- hating the sin,
When it’s the sin that made us and keeps us in
Circled in dances around each other
afraid of the whole –

I only pull away when you touch me
because my love hungers.
like a wild dog – your skin is of little concern to me.
I want the flesh and bones of you.
To suck – ravenous!

but my predator eyes know willing prey – so I pull away.

All rights reserved © 2009