FRONT STREET

You know what people say
when they want you to leave
and not be seen:
"Go out the back."

You know what people do
when they too chickenshit
to bring their issues with you
to your face:
talk behind your back

You know what part of the
shelf
cabinet
drawer
closet
people tuck secrets
they don't want
nobody to find:
the back

You know where
in people's minds
they purposely escort
information they don't intend
to deal with:
the back

You know where
blue rogues
shoot unarmed men
whose eyes
facts
and hands
they refuse to search
for innocence

whose black skin
is a tripped panic alarm

©2018 Charlene E. Green
You Betta WRITE!

TIME CHANGE—HAIKU

Spring forward from their
dark views, spite. Slay, prolong your
light. Make them fall back.

©2018 Charlene E. Green
from my upcoming book
You Betta WRITE!

THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH

She is a circus
a one-woman show
needing no training
mastermind

no, sir
you cannot teach her this gig
she was birthed
with the instructions
encoded in her womb
programmed in a language
you can’t decipher

come, sit
bring snacks, drinks
prepare to be mystified
by her unmatched skill set

this exhibition
is strictly for your delight
and education

warning:

do not
attempt any of her tricks
without her help
irreversible damage
to you and others
may occur

only she
is equipped
and ingenious enough
for this endeavor

warning:

stay alert—
her execution is swift—
she is known
for her ability
to perform multiple
perplexing stunts
simultaneously

like her balancing act:
eight-month-old baby
under one arm
seven-pound basket of laundry
under the other
six grocery bags
between both hands
stepping nimbly
up five flights of stairs
in four-inch heels
after a three-hour commute
functioning on two hours of sleep
while on day one
of her period

yes, gentlemen
she’s talented
wait till you see
her exhausting
juggling-needs act:
job
yours
kids
family
friends
and hers...
sprinkled among
all the busy

contortionist
like no other
watch closely as she
twists and arches
her physical and mental
to bend
and break
all her rules
to ensure your happiness

observe in astonishment
her alien-like tendencies
you won’t believe
how she morphs
herself indestructible
for those in her midst
seven days a week
while sometimes so ill
she can barely
sit upright
for sixty seconds

warning:

some of you may lose consciousness
during its shocking display
so channel your inner soldier
and give your undivided attention
to her most fascinating
death-defying feat:
childbirth

nowhere else will you witness
anything more spectacular
than a human
ushering another human
through a tiny orifice
that performs its own
stunning expanse ceremony
so a life
can begin

guaranteed
this will be
a groundbreaking affair
you won’t wanna miss

WOMAN
the premier attraction
will be here
to emblazon your world
for as long as you
are discerning enough
to keep her

warning:

your A-game
must remain unaltered
or she will take her production
to another location
with better patronage

and she will find it
effortlessly

after all
she is
the greatest show on earth

and everyone
everywhere
needs her

©2018 Charlene E. Green
from my upcoming book
You Betta WRITE!