I stepped out stray
on those
cracked streets
South Harlem
in the summer night
Black looks
in shadow
Death gliding
on the air
I didn’t see you there
They were fighting
on one twenty
up against the wall
They were hanging
out the windows
bristling in the hall
She said
It’s not worth you all
Not worth it
Didn’t hear you there
The heat
was a bruise
A mattress
stained with dreams
Dragged like
a dog
on the sidewalk
I didn’t feel you there
Not the weight
of your head
or the flat of your hand
which would have been
