qarrtsiluni

by Dustin Brookshire

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.

Download the podcast

Dustin Brookshire is a poet and activist. He’s the founder of Project Verse, Quarrel, and Poetry Swap. Visit him at dbrookshire.blogspot.com.