What We Know For Sure
By Benin Williams Lemus
Nine.
You are only nine.
Already you know rejection.
By your mother.
By your father.
So you are in charge of rejecting now.
Us.
We.
Five.
Brought you both in.
You at nine.
She at seven.
You see yourself as father to her.
Seven.
And knowing no better-
At nine-
You cook corn in the can on the stove.
While your mother sells-
Everything she is told has value.
Anything a man will pay for.
But I like corn
You say.
And you only want your momma back.
Social worker.
Steps in.
Three.
Chances for you.
Two.
You have already used up.
What happens when you play Monoploy
And you run out of money?
She quizzes.
Game over.
You think you understand.
Well, your mother ran out of money.
She looks.
To us.
And they want to be your family.
Five plus two
Is seven.
But you cannot wait to leave.
For the avenues.
Where odds are even.
When they land against an alley wall.
Stay with us.
Be vibrant.
Nine.
And you will know.
Ten.
You won’t learn boulevards swallow little black boys.
With slurs as words.
Nigger
Knives and chains and
Guns.
If you stay.
The social worker says.
If you stay.
You are only nine.
