Faggot
I own the word
like you own your name,
let it roll off my tongue
and grate you like cheese.
Faggot.
Yes, I said it.
You’re not deaf.
I don’t stutter.
It’s the word you want
to use against me,
pour over my body
like boiling water.
Baby, I can stand the heat.
It’s a word
I once used.
Anthony. Faggot.
Brian. Faggot.
Lamar. Faggot.
It even tried to haunt:
Dustin. Faggot.
But I,
I deal the word
like a shark in Vegas.
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Dustin Brookshire is a poet and activist. He’s the founder of Project Verse, Quarrel, and Poetry Swap. Visit him at dbrookshire.blogspot.com.
Fantabulous!
Wow. I love the short lines in this and the way the imagery turns the word.
well done Dustin! Love to hear you read :) You so own it!
So, so nice.
Wonderful as always, Dustin.
Power indeed.
“It’s a word
I once used.
Anthony. Faggot.
Brian. Faggot.
Lamar. Faggot.”
Flex those poetic muscles, boy!
I love the “pour over my body like boiling water,” reminiscent of the Inquisition, levered over in your reclaiming.
Great! “like a shark in Vegas.” Priceless. You are fantastic!