Swing low

Struggle

Struggle be the color of her neck, black with his grip, He don’t slip, this Rope

He don’t spare her, don’t bend for her, He don’t love her, this Rope

Where she hides all her prayers, behind her gums

Behind her tongue, tumble, flat on their backs they are watching God and when they fall

Pray the prayers reach soft ground

Pray they find some other someone, shining with all the pretty things that faith is made of

Believing and raw kneed

She is  raw neck

Limp body, there is nothing left

Of this body is black

Is blue

Is empty

Ain’t that the prettiest thing any body can be, swinging

No bucket to kick

Almost enough air, Almost enough, she is tired

She’d like to feel the floor beneath her, but He knows no slack, this Rope

And He is fair, this Rope

Takes something

Gives something back

Takes freedom

Takes taste and scent and sleep, gives you aerial view, gives you a permanant necklace, is He not merciful

This Rope

He let’s you keep some of your life

Let’s you call this stinging love, this swinging love, He will sing to you, Swing Low

You will forget yourself

When the Wicked Wench Gravity has grown tired of holding you

When your permanent necklace can’t barter you across the river Styx

Or River Jordan, when even your mother won’t carry you

Sweet Chariots won’t carry you, nothing

Will carry you and the smoke and mirrors are familiar and strange

When you don’t know your name

Or the date or time

Or the face of the last stranger who bit into you, He will snap

This branch

Is this not Eden

Are you not the apple neglected by Eve

Which is to say

Are you not the apple  neglected by Life, He

Is no Adam

Nothing lovely or

Godly or

Gentle but you love him

You love him, You love him is this not the end of Genesis

Are you not Abel

Which is to say you are unable to fend off this murderer of men, this

Sour sugar Cain

Past it’s prime

Well I say

I say it’s high time you

Shake from this Rope, swing

For your life, you damn fool, if he loved you

He wouldn’t do so twisted about himself

Around your neck, He wouldn’t do so

With Kingdom Come in his gums, he wouldn’t do so

So selfishly

Denying you your eve

Renaming it evil

Calling your liberation The Fall