Cubistic Body World
one knee turned against
the other
one foot walking in one direction
the other foot headed, another
legs and thighs
rubbing each other in
the wrong way—
the left hand beating always
beating the right one
and the right hand forever
trying to hold its own
the mouth, mocking
the tongue.
eyes, rolling at each other.
a body walking around with its
foot in its mouth, most of
the time.
boasting that it is so advanced,
it has eyes in the back of its head.
behold. the body of the world.
it appears that
no one will have
the distinct
odious honor of dismantling
or killing it.
it is tearing
its own self
apart.
Notes:
First published in the chapbook We’re Only Human (Eden Press, 1994) before appearing in the journal Reverie: Midwest African American Literature, edited by Randall Horton. Reproduced with permission of Nina Rodgers Gordon.
This poem is part of the portfolio “Carolyn Marie Rodgers: What Beauty We Now Have” from the October 2022 issue.
Source: Poetry (October 2022)