by Chris Abani
No I am not afraid of the eye chart:
in THE dmv
But i sHakE
at The Uniformed
COP who WaLks In.
My fear of uniforms is an old habit, comfortable.
Sometimes even the chief fryer at McDonald’s can
make me break into a hot sweat if I am not expecting his glance.
Monsters don’t crowd your psyche
but rather sit awkwardly on the remote control,
too polite to get up and move it, until
the constantly changing channel is unbearable.
The odds are that my political views won’t stop the invasion,
but to drink Ethiopian coffee during a bomb-
storm is still rebellious.
from SanctificumFind it in the library
Copyright 2010 Chris Abani
Used with the permission of The Permissions Company, Inc.
on behalf of Copper Canyon Press.