POEM
Sloth
If you're one of seven
Downfalls, up in your kingdom
Of mulberry leaves, there are men
Betting you aren't worth a bullet,
That your skin won't tan into a good
Wallet. As if drugged in the womb
& limboed in a honeyed languor,
By the time you open your eyes
A thousand species have lived
& died. Born on a Sunday
Morning, with old-world algae
In your long hair, a goodness
Disguised your two-toed claws
Bright as flensing knives. In this
Upside-down haven, you're reincarnated
As a fallen angel trying to go home.
Source: Poetry (October 1999).
This poem originally appeared in the October 1999 issue of Poetry.
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In his poetry, Yusef Komunyakaa weaves together the elements of his own life in short lines . . . MORE »
