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Assault Rifle, October and Becoming: three poems by Keon Heywood
-
By
Dr Michelle Yaa Asantewa
- 2 minutes
- Article
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Assault Rifle “Pig ask e mumah wha mek e mouth suh lang She seh pickney, when yuh come yuh gon know Me ask me daddie how come he stan…
Assault Rifle
“Pig ask e mumah wha mek e mouth suh lang
She seh pickney, when yuh come yuh gon know
Me ask me daddie how come he stan suh strong
He seh son, when yuh get big yuh gon grow”
Slowly he exposed the object
wagged it for some to see
my mouth dropped
someone gasped
as he continued nonchalantly
so when the teacher left,
a group of girls and boys
gathered around his desk
to catch a glimpse of his toy
I snatched it,
and went chasing the girls with glee
got caught up in my excitement
tripped and fell on my knee
“come” Said Mrs Buttercup
breathing heavy at the door
and flogged me with pleasure
till my bottom was sore
October
Frozen
I see she writhing inside
Trapped
I see it in she eye
Pink tears roll down cheeks
night gown open
cold sweat
a centipede is now she left breast
I count her heartbeats
Yes seven years later
Ricochet
Nine months now
and she still deh hea
I keep on fanning
de breeze cool she skin
All in she bones it now swimming
right arm broken
lumbar missing
leg deteriorating
hip
de pampers wet
“mom, one of de girls gon change you… yuh hear?”
She replies, “God won't give me more than I could bear.”
From 'Becoming III'
Sleep evades me
I close my eyes and I see your face
contorted
I get up
shower
let the cold water run its way over me
freely
feel the trickle on my fingers
fingering me
I watch the waves wash every part
I open up
unashamedly
expose all that's nasty
skin back black flesh slowly
wasting… it's a waste
I'm dying a death like the greedy
cracked back animal thrown out of the sky
his borrowed feathers snatched
he can't fly
though my thinking is like lightning
my hearing, smelling, seeing
there's no permanent joy
just a smoke lingering
I'm going but not moving
I'm moving but not going…
Keon Heywood was born in 1988 in Georgetown, Guyana. An “Artist at Heart,” he has performed as an Actor, Dancer and Poet in Guyana and other parts of the Caribbean. He enjoys working with At-Risk Youth and other vulnerable groups. Keon is an English Teacher and member of the Theatre Guild of Guyana. His first collection of poetry will be published this year.
Keon Heywood 2018
#guyanese #guyana #newwriter #poet #culture #cancer #breastcancer #sexuality #literature #creole
