I Rhyme
Always taking comfort in the fact that Maya Angelou liked to rhyme In and out of time That John Keats fell in love too easily We all lived on the same block James Baldwin's nose tucked in his newspaper While the radio crooned Marvin Gaye Across the street, Toni watered her marigolds Alice took a short stroll A young Nikki saved a spider caught on the path And Zora, bless her, ran in the middle of the road. Gcina carried her wares on her head and did not leave until every last one sold. After dark, we will all gather on a table That wraps around the block Share stories of the day and pass the salt Potatoes and greens We will pour the sweet tea And sink our teeth into every morsel.