en-swallowing

in the morning
and here we is
already standing out here
talking ’bout how
what it is dat’us all gon be doing
when just as soon
as us getting back out here
in the morning

Copyright © 2000 Asili Ya Nadhiri

DIS-FUNCTIONING-D
(us all mirroring-d here
just like we being this here somebody)

sown deep in my hands
whom i is supposed
this what whom i is-inged
bending down over me
swirling around in between
the pale dark toes

disguising disguises
walking is is i pleased
i is is i is!
hold out in my hand
come back i this same
is i is is i is

so loud inside
inside it so loud
the sound it drowns
the sound that drowns
the who that found leaving
from where it in here behind
the who in us whom
this echo impounds

DOOM DE DOMP DOOOOM
DE DOMP DOMP DOOOOM DE DOMP DOOOOM
DOOM DE DOMP DOOOOM
DE DOMP DOMP DOOOOM DE DOMP DOOOOM
DOOM DE DOMP DOOOOM
DE DOMP DOMP DOOOOM DE DOMP DOOOOM
DOOM DE DOMP DOOOOM
DE DOMP DOMP DOOOOM DE DOMP DOOOOM
DOOM DE DOMP DOOOOM
DE DOMP DOMP DOOOOM DE DOMP DOOOOM

Copyright © 2003 Asili Ya Nadhiri

impoverishing-d

brown
squatt’n down
loose dark dirt
in here where they left
to wait here near to behold
sundown peopling is the potion
it filling this mould
with children
rolled rolling on up
on into they self
inside in here
where it they using

one spoon it spilled
and’it spilling on
into many flatteninged bowls
who they fulling
on this what it done
in a store some where
by they self all alone
baggy pants fall’n down
with’ah gun in they hand
scared in there like they mean
still playing dare by they self
with this some body else
that who they never ever seen

Copyright © 2003 Asili Ya Nadhiri

intussusception-ninged-ing
(rivers us known-ning bent pulling pulled
 bending ‘round the ‘lan’ic ocean
for making mo’ us all should
oughta done    be seen seen-ing) 

aboding dark mattering imploding on
through in the middle of this passing on
feeling ‘round in them borned forbidden things
spawning on in the holdings
of this swallowing dark womb

stole! pour’d on this journey sowd
by some them who us!  by who’us sold
herding dark bodies herded there
herding here then
there tied one to the scared
trembling here in the other

 in’us self !throwd bound
! there squeezed down in here!tight!
undulating notions surrounding and pounding!
rubbing titty nippled ‘rections warming
hardening there harder
‘gainst the hot protesting breathings
of lil’l round titties bare
scrotumed logs pinioned thronged
there wedged there bumping
in wet creviced rows
‘gainst bare naked buttocks’ backs
who ‘cause they scared!all they scared
they all scared yearning home

in the thick sweating rushing
of hypnotic body odors
us fed feeding here feeding
on this what here in there swelling
lip twisted ‘round and ‘round
knotting ‘round in’us head
gnawing down on inside another on inside
this some other some ‘nother body self-ing
here swooning rhythmic enfoldings
of them dark fleshing walls

 aboding dark mattering imploding on
through in the middle of this passing on
feeling ‘round in them borned forbidden things
spawning on in the holdings
of this swallowing dark womb

Copyright © 2004  Asili Ya Nadhiri

atlantic mooring

glistening sheets of scrolling waters
drumming on in resounding billows
wet humming oracles unfolding there
nourishing darkening trepidationings
reverently enthralling wondering tongues
in loud roaring echoes leaving their trace
undauntingly entangling on
here across your face

by the stark emancipationing of this moon
staring on through cavern crevices homemade
silently kneading assuaging this fear inside
wrap’n’round the musclings of our strides
so these bronze shackled imprinting soles
aint froth aloning for the leave of wet sands
drying scared in hubrisating emulationings
who here begging unbeknowingly awaiting
the mutual beholding of kindred hands
emanating of our native humane

obediently you feeding this tumultuous
flooding here in our wondering souls
with snarling notion-nings crashing there
attacking foreboding wallings of this hold
nourishing the epic will of all them daring . . .
when so quietlying on back out on into then
and now on your way forth on up here again
embracing us all in this womb with your sway
pronouncing on and on of this cosmic way

Copyright © 1983, 2014 Asili Ya Nadhiri

aloning-ning

the rusing charm of this daunting-ness
is leaning me on upon its snares
no mattering is ’rounding around
wandering illusory morsels chewd
are tossing themselves near
gnawing away looking down
with their weathering hands
here begging too

what why is there for pursuing
then is nowing when is nowing then
breathing is by measuring mystical lots
doling out in a many well worn nots
the ground is ever softly softlying
all motion is retarding retarded retarding
here on and on into tiny-ing little slots

nothing i’m seeing is ever seen
whispering is a silently forbidden forbidding
’cause sounds they’re seemingly swelling
no thing is ever being heard
knowing is always pleading absurd
so never in need of these words

Copyright © 2014 Asili Ya Nadhiri

in closing
(last letter from Mama)

the words were simple
stumbling through the strokened mumblings
of someone whose life had been spent
in the loneliness of unwanted places
and the bitter taste of something surrendered
and lost in years of unanswered giving
sitting there waiting in a room
a long way from where she was born

Copyright © 1993 Asili Ya Nadhiri

*dissolving here inside this soliloquy

there something else in here
much older than the rest
aloned
it barely whispered
through the plaque filled gaps
of tobacco yellowed teeth
and nothing is seldom said
there no clear thoughts now
left here in this head
just shadows
in syncopating motions
!i hollar
and it quickly rolled up
in tiny crumbed morsels
for making believe
lulling me on
wrapping voodoo charms
all around up inside
the muscles of my arms
making me tird
and my children
and they children they too
these hands
my hands!
they paddy-paddy cake patting
on the tom-tom drum
stuck here in the mud
on the potter’s wheel
spinning ‘round and ‘round
trying to get theyself
some-some
dark eyes they shining
they shining dulled
frozen wide in the midst
of thick africaned lips mumbled on
in us fingers
it in here caking
the clay that it baking
and more slowly it pouring on
in this moulding again

Copyright © 2003 Asili Ya Nadhiri

the blues keep feeding in the rhythm
(what is this upon my heart
it make me burn inside this dark)

bags

these veined dark hands they shrivelling
in the hungry plundering
of her old crooked fingers
her shopping cart loaded it full
of rescued things
tied up in the arms
of her many little strings
silver aged trolley whose shine done gone
mumbling words grumbling ‘round
in thick lipped jaws wit snuff dripping down
‘neath the smile smothered there
in the still abandoned yearning
of her tird brown eyes
her losing what her finding
in the belly of this night
‘cause the wheels wobbling ‘round
us bumping here ‘gainst the ground
her squat’n there by herself
nobody somewhere
big wide bottom hips fart’n bare
for all those flies they hurrying there
looking on they going pretending no care
swallowing the syrupy spell
of this vulgar smell
slobbering mouths their hands dripping full
holding our breath
while her moving her bowels

the blues keep feeding in the rhythm
(what is this upon my heart
it make me burn inside this dark)

the grave

this armless night is swollen in silence
and sudden echoes of broken glass
muffled in lowly mumblings
of drunken body screams
twisted dark faces surrender
frozen in the pain of having to breathe
and no one is ever here or even near
the ears are closed for all to hear
eyes they stare and on they stare
always there at what they stare

the blues keep feeding in the rhythm
(what is this upon my heart
it make me burn inside this dark)

ghosts

the echoes of what there used to be
and the tease of those smells they bother me
dusty toes dressed in calloused corns
stomping and praying on dirt pourd floors
and them hands dark hands they clapping hands
here juke joint druming in rebok shoes
shadows of fires and fat blow flies
syrup they knots tied here in my head
the taste of things they holding me still
they keep on coming here humming
and drinking my time

keep on coming here humming
and drinking my time

coming here humming
and drinking my time

Copyright © 1995 Asili Ya Nadhiri

*water coloringed

they spreadinged and swallowinged on
in this low droning stare
of who this who in here
who for they selfing
purpled grey splotchings aloninged
wrinkling and drying on out on one another
growinged hard too soon

welfaringed moments
they chanting and caressing us all
bleeding on through the veils
of invisibled-ling faces
running on out here
all over us all

they spreadinged and swallowinged on
in this low droning stare
of who this who in here
who for they selfing
purpled grey splotchings aloninged
wrinkling and drying on out on one another
growinged hard too soon

Copyright © 2003 Asili Ya Nadhiri