1.
Pops' Cordoba, white as was white
down the Altadena streets no damn sidewalks on some run the hell off.
Pops' limp was his hips ate up from some shit, so a negro's knees not a bop,
was hurt on some Hell, something furious. A yellow Fury was his big car, then big white:
—not lemon yellow yellow
but butter yellow sallow tallow yellow
not on some sun but what run under one. Ate up hips, Pops hit Altadena streets, his butter Fury.
Altadena streets, shit,
no sidewalks our side got Black peeps all up in the streets,
big cars. Letter-carrier Pops work letters
in "Cadillac" what wasn't in nobody's Cadillac prior to putting a Cadillac up in his Altadena drive
way he put himself hurt all hurt up in the Cadillac. Ca-DEE-LEE-ack
he'd say. No lack
like. Shit Cadillac white as was
white as new soap. But the Cadeeleeack a lemon, yellow in that Altadena drive was clean though. Lemon fresh!
Big-ass cars for the way negro's knees hurt something
furious what with his hips ate.
Clean big-ass cars. Sidewalks run-off by something
on Altadena drives.
2.
Mother was "Mom" never "Mama" from me here
but gone, now, whither?
Over yonder? If I Mama
her now I fix for to give her what? To take?
What's Mama that ain't Mom
Mom never asked for "Mama."
saaaaid my yellow mouth whatit isn't. What it is not
We was, she and I,
yellow, I figure this now ontological? Yellow
weeeeeell, before she went over
yonder she was yellow yellow jaundice, then gone, and then she was was.
Me back at that Black-ass school we wanted my yellow ass in
for to get what? or take? Saaaaaid
took it all in and got all up in it Mom, then she was gone
and I out of it. Mom, that "giving
mother" fix me an epistemology now take to calling her
"Mama" with my yellow mouth, taking her back
to where she never was
how I swallow her down
now some buttermilk.
