Napowrimo - THE CUSTOMER

The Customer

I sent my boy out
because I missed his voice.

I missed his voice
and watched Suzie swat the boy as he stood
outside the open louvers
allowing flies from the street’s filth to
breeze into the parlor.

The flies drifted into the golden plaster rosettes
as the boy listened
as I heard
“I got strawberries”
“I got blueberries”
the cries of the street
vendors of the morning.

The cries of the morning circled me like flies
as I sat at table with my chicory
with my cream kissed oatmeal
and no bread

“No bread today” the boy said
returned now standing at my side.
“The bread boy’s run off”

The bread nigger’s run off and I slap him—
my boy—
less he get similar ideas
to fly away.

Prompt:

3/13/1847: Brown, the enslaved bread seller, made his escape in 1847. pic.twitter.com/PvzuLCvC60

— Freedom On The Move (@fotmproject) April 11, 2018