[Sic]

“You could be inside, living in your own house for years,and still, men with or without badges but always withguns could force you, your family, your neighbors to pack upand move—with or without shoes.”-Toni Morrison

attenchun

my daddy makes red meat

charrs cow flesh to a crisp

smothers it in brown shugar and ketchup, bbq

adds potatos, deviled eggs, sweetcorn

and baked beans with pork phat

he sends me to the store for more ribs

tells me to bring his baby back as it left

(the car, but mostly me)

when i go vegan he makes twice fried tofu

and marinates it for two nites

he suffers through aspareagis and brussel sprouts

fresh, snapped peas and collyflower steak

and accidently eats eggs

three morningz in a row until we

donate the rest of the carton to the wumin next door

but he likes kale seezuned with salt and garlic

he begins to lose weight

the tattoo on his neck looking larger everyday

when i go on a water fast

he only eats when i am out of the house

though the smell of samin leengurs

in the threads of the placemats

when I think I am bi

he learns what queer means

and attends rainbow colored events by my syde

learns that gendered clothing makes no since

but lets me know he has no dezyre to wear a skirt

when I know I am gay

he shrugs because he thinks they are the same

he apologies when he realizes they are not

when my father did not come home

and made no fone call

i searched the local internashunal food store

on iyuls vegan and non-vegan

i fear he may be lost in his corn induljinces

to never reserfis

my father is found face down

on the hood of a vehikle, colored black, white and blue

his pockits turned out

the back seat of his car loaded

with electrolte water to cure shakey knees

and ease the cravings of the fish

a coexist label between his shoulder blades

i wonder what the justification is

but my effurts are bottlnecked

and strangled into nonexzistince

by buried body cam footage

and a smashed tailight

i stand a top my own vehikle

attenchun

my father blew bubles with his own blood

as he was rid of life and laughter

i can no longr take refyuge in clean eeting

there is no refyuge

for moral reapers without reveiw

when i am mailed a letter

unproofread for mechanics and impathy

their guilt is self-absolved

and i am released

but not of my own volishun

i play NERD and Strangefruit

through a bluetooth speeker

civilly disturbing the piece

25/8