shadows drunken slowly drifting

empty bellies full of crippled little legs

and poking out round

like those big bulging eyes there begging

for all those standing in alligator shoes

with their backs turned

pissing ‘long the side of the road

and brother man brother man coming here in our hands

rows there full of little white shacks

rolling pale ivory bones with tiny eyes black

in colored aprons spread over rheumatism knees

spillling through the dark in a naked moonlight

full of one-legged dancers in greasy round bowls

and brother man brother man coming here in our hands

men with no faces under trees with no leaves

mumbling ‘bout things they’ve never ever heard

warmed over lies and homemade words

rhythmic mimes and a pocket full of times

and brother man brother man coming here in our hands

and brother man brother man coming here in our hands

and brother man brother man coming here in our hands

Copyright © 1993 Asili Ya Nadhiri

I remember when

in the syncopated rumbling there

in the throats of dark men swallowing water

from the mouth of clear mason jars

in the lap of hot tobacco fields

and in the evening smelling good

of charcoal women frying fish

popping there in round black bellied pots

on bright red embers burning slowly

there was a low steady humming

that told of a hunger there deep

and praying in the rhythmic cradle

of a real fertile soil

in the words sounding there

through cocoa hands rubbing clothes

‘cross the rusting ribs of old washing boards

and in Miss Glossy ‘cross the street

there git’n along in her white uniform

proudly laughing from another day’s done

there was the sweet bellied taste

of something round and a real dark brown

growing there in rich delta ground

that made me real hungry

and wanting for something more

but where is it now

the low drumming hum

that sat on the shores of Sahara coasts

shading us there in the chains

of bone dancing brothers profaned

that wrapped us warm

in the worm filled bellies

of Jonah’s slave whales

and carried us on

through savannas of preambled sands

spilling from pomp and rapacious hands

now we’re here

in the cannibal drouth

of cold and lonely desert storms

and I’m wondering

where will I find it now

Copyright © 1993 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

i is i my IMPLODING . . .

the blues       the blues
soft screaming hard coming
the blues       the blues
slow stepping here
where there swirling they glad
born there where here growd it sad
the blues       the blues
cocoa brown in deep guttural frowns
turned loose tied in here bound
the blues     the blues
the blues                             the blues

i is i my IMPLODINGinsidethisi is my distentioning-d

doom’doom’doom’doom doommmmmmm
DOOM   DOOM   DOOM   DOOM   DOOMMMMMMM
doom’doom’doom’doom doommmmmmm
DOOM   DOOM   DOOM   DOOM   DOOMMMMMMM
doom’doom’doom’doom doommmmmmm
DOOM   DOOM   DOOM   DOOM   DOOMMMMMMM
doom’doom’doom’doom doommmmmmm
DOOM   DOOM   DOOM   DOOM  DOOMMMMMMM
dark arms dry heaving
in the tough shufflinged pose-ing of us longing
purplinged on into deep purplinged on
in emptyinged rooms of smooth tender bare chests
flatteninged they fulled
on low muffled mufflinged sounds
synthesized synthesizing
curved round like they brown
like they brown pouring ‘round
hands swung they all swing’n tied
but will they can will they not can move
sowd sowing from back then inside in the heads
en-wombed
and en-wombing on
doom’doom’doom’doom doommmmmmm
DOOM   DOOM   DOOM   DOOM   DOOMMMMMMM
doom’doom’doom’doom doommmmmmm
DOOM   DOOM   DOOM   DOOM   DOOMMMMMMM
doom’doom’doom’doom doommmmmmm
DOOM   DOOM   DOOM   DOOM   DOOMMMMMMM
doom’doom’doom’doom doommmmmmm
DOOM   DOOM   DOOM   DOOM  DOOMMMMMMM
abandoned-ning laps fulled
fulling with broad running nose
in broken chairs sitting down
inside on some body who aint even there

so quiet so quiet palm trees they so quiet
swirling winds in the dirt it grown so quiet
gone going on in to this on in to
doom’doom’doom’doom doommmmmmm
DOOM   DOOM   DOOM   DOOM   DOOMMMMMMM
doom’doom’doom’doom doommmmmmm
DOOM   DOOM   DOOM   DOOM   DOOMMMMMMM
doom’doom’doom’doom doommmmmmm
DOOM   DOOM   DOOM   DOOM   DOOMMMMMMM
doom’doom’doom’doom doommmmmmm
DOOM   DOOM   DOOM   DOOM  DOOMMMMMMM

Copyright © 1994 Asili Ya Nadhiri