Gifts for a Beautiful Body and Other Poems
Gifts for a Beautiful Body
After Ta-Nehisi Coates and to my son
Who am I to tell you now
what was given to me
(by my mother
and my mother’s mother)?
and my mother’s mother)?
A gold bracelet, engraved
with my name, announcing
with my name, announcing
God’s ornament, a visible body
covered in star-studded cotton.
covered in star-studded cotton.
I wanted to give you gold, myrrh,
and frankincense, but your cry
and frankincense, but your cry
kept circling the dim room, hungry
and fragrant. I needed your faithfulness
and fragrant. I needed your faithfulness
of breath. Your skipping and pedaling
feet, your feet (Oh Mary!) of ages.
feet, your feet (Oh Mary!) of ages.
I would have to lie to tell you
that death always comes
that death always comes
like precious stones. Some are slashed,
some buried, too many given invisibility
some buried, too many given invisibility
like a gift—perhaps the only way to see
a body is with your own eyes.
a body is with your own eyes.
Perhaps the only way to see a whole body
is to see one coming out of you.
is to see one coming out of you.
You survived before you lived,
but I still listen for heartbeats
but I still listen for heartbeats
in arched places, anxious when people walk
around you like broken branches.
around you like broken branches.
Blessed be the one who hears you cry out
like a million pressed stones—
like a million pressed stones—
jasper, turquoise, emerald with gold—
and uncovers your breath of bees.
and uncovers your breath of bees.
Blessed be the one who sees you on the sidewalk,
migrating, and declares you good.
migrating, and declares you good.
