—Stevie Wonder on the car stereo
more wetland
than river or
stream
our own bodies of rivulets and
capillaries
isles and
islands of organs
kidneys lungs
even skin
“heaven help the black man…
heaven help
the white man if he turns
his
back away”
—Stevie
Wonder
the distances
of us, my daughter,
bridged by water
like these running
to New Orleans
& I know so well
those nerves
beside your mouth
that gnarled
sickness
I have been there, too,
&
with you
each time
you
go there
“signed
sealed
delivered”
but you
have always come through
shocked it into
happening
at the moment
of crisis
& do
nerves even matter
at that
point
I have failed so many times
drenched
drenched
these
past
weeks
but I, too,
have turned nervous
ticks and twitches
into small
triumphs
the philosopher Kant
speaks of the
sublime
as the realization
of our powers
to conceptualize
nature
this river shows me
he goes too far
but he has
a point
you & I together
in some ways
mightier
than the slow water
“…superwoman…”
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