i am deliberate & afraid of nothing

New Year's DayThe day feels put together hastilylike a gift for grateful beggarsbeing better than no time at allbut the bells are ringingin cities I have never visitedand my name is printed over doorwaysI have never seenWhile extracting a boneor whatever is tender or fruitfulfrom the core of indifferent daysI have forgottenthe touch of suncutting through uncommitted morningsThe night is full of messagesI cannot readI am too busy forgettingair like fur on my tongueand these tearswhich do not come from sadnessbut from grit in a sometimes windRain falls like tar on my skinmy son picks up a chicken heart at dinneraskingdoes this thing love?Deft unmalicious fingers of ghostspluck over my dreaminghiding whatever it is of sorrowthat would profit meI am deliberateand afraidof nothing.Audre Lorde, From a Land Where Other People Live, 1973  First addition in Black History 2022 capsule collection in limited number.