To Disembark

after Glenn Ligon

it stands to reason suffering was last. a score of
surface-level disasters, with intention. gluten-free
for the sake of textbooks. it’s July. someone’s tired of the poor.
air quality action day & no matter the season,
me: wailing about loss in pentameter. name
a prettier way to plead diaspora. no one commands
social death & yet, compliance. like a Kardashian,
my desire: on display as transactional. aspartame
sweet, immaterial like credit scores or closure. i remain
a good boy for you, America—barebacking debt like a man,
talking shit about the state on my iPhone. grand,
isn’t it: to represent a people, only in blame?