Reemergence of the Noose
Some lamp sputters
its dusty light
across some desk.
Some hand, shaking,
works the strained
rope, twisting and knifing,
weaving, tugging tight
a bellowing circle. Randy
Travis, steamy drawl
and hiccup on the staticky
AM, backs the ritual
of drooping loop.
Sweat drips an awful
hallelujah. God glares
askance, but the artist
doesn’t waver—wrists
click cadence, knots
become a path to what
makes saviors. The sagging
hoop bemoans a need
to squeeze, its craving
for a breath within the ring.
Copyright Credit: Patricia Smith, "Reemergence of the Noose" from Incendiary Art. Copyright © 2017 by Patricia Smith. Published by TriQuarterly Books / Northwestern University Press. All rights reserved.