and he asked:

who am I?

a grey-eyed
curly-haired
brown-skinned
look-in-the-mirror
who am I?

a dry-tongue
wet-lidded
burning-heart
who am I?

asked
of parents long gone
to unknown destinations

who       am       I?

a warm-stomachs pressed together
hands-on-hot-smooth-skin
aching-of-the-loins
bursting-of-the-loins
who am I?
who am I?

asked to the wombs
of Asian-eyed companions

asked to the breasts
of woolly-headed companions

but the breasts are dry

and the wombs are barren

April 25, 1981
for A.W.



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alien

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the way it is

Contents: Headings

Contents: Poems

Index by Titles

Index by First Lines

Chronology

Preface

Cover Page