4:30 AM

the roosters aint even up

got sense

to sleep

at least till 5

but not

I

in the kitchen

making lunch

for the freakin UN-brady bunch

and aint no maid like alice here to help a sista out

aint got time for chit chat and shit like that

conversations only stop the preparation of

"my favorite is bologna and cheese with mayonnaise

no mustard mommy. Aaaaaaand i want

chips aaaaaaaaand a drink aaaaaaaaand a cookie

and are u gonna put me a little note sayin i love

u in there like last time . . . i love u dont forget the chips . . ."

on my lips be words like

"I love u too and yes I have the chips"

and them chips

they be down

but I

I be up

up since 5

up smiling

and my little joys

my boys

don't know

I'm breakin down

down like mississippi flood waters

crashin like

atlantic ocean

titantic type ship

bail out or be killed

or bail out and be fulfilled

bill collectors call

and I'm like

"excuse me, don't u see I'm breakin down here"

set my ass up on a payment paln and don't call me ni more today"

and ima play like all is cool

and right

and sound

in the mind

it

aint

my time to break down

and I once heard (from someone who is famous but

dead now) that breakin down is really

breakin through . . .

traffic

bustin loose like get out of my way

gotta go

pick up kid #1, kid #2, kid #3, husband, bank, store, gas station . . .

all today

in about an hour or so

"GET OUT OF MY WAYYYY"

I aint playin

road rage aint nothin unless its a bad MOMA

jama like myself trying get kid #1 out of school

so they wont put him on the bus . . .

STOP

want some time to get off this roller coaster

can't ride while I'm drivin

can't ride while I'm drivin

while im breakin down or through or whatever

my ass is brakin

like hurtin from sit ups I was attemptin

right after dinner, baths and bed time stories

small and precious glories

when they say "u da best mama in the whole world"

and he say "honey u are beautiful abd fabulous, what's for dinner"

thinner

I don't need to be

but the patience

its making me lose weight

runnin thin like

sliced tomatoes

done by a professional

sandwich maker

breakin down

or

through

whatever's clever

im breakin

walls down tryna spend some time with myself

on the shelf

till everyone else has a piece

of womb pie

I 

LIE

awake at night and count sheep

sacrificed for the shearer

and i'm cold

all the time . . .

gotta go

I'm breakin down

or through

or whatever

*   *   *   *   *

Afrikan.  Human. Her words to a dance of Harlem shake meets 40's waltz and dare not be labeled as an everyday spoken word poet. She be griot. Oracle. Orator. Storyteller. Scribe.

Greens and tofu.