The night is the night. So
Say the stars that light us
As we kneel before one
Another, illegal and illegal
Like Malcolm X. This is
His park, this part
Of the capital where we
Say please with our mouths
Full of each other, no one
Hungry as me against this
Tree. This tree, if we push
Too hard, will fall. But if
I don't push at all, call me
A sissy. Somebody ahead
Of me seeded the fruit-
Bearing forest. The night
Is my right. Shouldn’t I
Eat? Shouldn't I repeat,
It was good, like God?
After Essex Hemphill was written by Jericho Brown.
After Essex Hemphill was produced by The Adroit Journal.