Loyce Gayo

How We Forget
 

We forgot we were worshipping beings,

We forgot you black Jesus

We forgot the king of kings

We forgot crowns do nothing for kings but put weight on their heads and a target on their

backs

We forgot they tax our heads and put weight on our back

We forgot Sodom and Gomorrah were leveled by brimstone and divine judgment,

But Mississippi is still standing,

We forgot burning cities,

We forgot cities are still burning

We forgot colors are seasonal,

And that this skin will fade too

I forgot my skin,

Or perhaps I just ran out of fucks to give!

We forgot that some kid’s utopias,

Is a roof that won’t whisper the night to the sleeping bodies below,

We forgot bodies sleep below,

We forgot bodies float, bodies hang,

We forgot Barbecue Postcards, Strange Fruit and hooded men.

I forgot my rage.

And the pulse it leaves underneath my tongue

I forgot my tongue

And how it used to fit so perfectly in my purse next to my womanly duties.

I forgot my purse,

And my high heel stilts,

I forgot balancing is no longer an act,

When you’re hiding behind imported hair,

A downloaded smile,

A voice trained to jump through hoops of flames for your snaps and applause,

You don’t get it.

Shoot, you already forgot you woke up this morning,

You forgot to close the faucet when you were scrubbing that pot, that

plate, that spoon or your left butt cheek or whatever,

But you remember how that song goes right?

123

You remember how it went.

You remember you wanted your Grande Chai tea Latte with 3 Pumps, Skim Milk

Lite Water, No Foam,

And served at a hundred and twenty degrees.

You remember how spiritual of an experience that was?

I forgot where I wrote this,

I forgot if I was just ranting,

Or if I had forgotten to close the faucet when I was scrubbing that pot that plate that spoon

or my tongue, or whatever

But I remember how this goes

I remember how spiritual of an experience this is

I forgot my heart was a burning city

Shoot, you already forgot, I forgot my tongue, remember?

We forgot that some kids walk past their utopias every morning,

Suburban bricks standing tall in proclamation of what statistics say they will never truly

attain.

We forgot that some kids try so hard to forget tomorrow is even coming,

We forgot that there were kids smiling in barbecue postcards

Next to strange fruit and hooded men

Or perhaps we never had any fucks to give, you know

Sometimes I forget how hard it is to remember.