In Search of Love Cocoons
(An Uptown Nocturne)
Daonne HuffIn Search of Love Cocoons [It’s Not What You Think ] or For You, Henry Dumas (1934-1968) or To You or I go and see only as far as my legs can carry me (An Uptown Nocturne)
SOUND TRANSCRIPTION
August
When It Seems Your Plants are Depressed
Your Plants Have Given Up
What Hope Is There for You?
September
Went to bed head pounding
Tightness tightness ripped braids out of hair
hoping that would free me
Woke up eyes and body dried out
a slumber of mourning
Walking outside
Breonna no justice For the Black Woman
Who became martyr
Your image matters Your life...well
Back folding in Shoulders folding In
Roll up curl up into cocoon dormant til
I am Tired I am TIRED I AM TIRED I AM TIRED
Not weak Not frail Not helpless
But TIRED and FRUSTRATED and goddamned ANGRY
[beat]
Holding holding numbing out til that
flashback and that flashback and that
flashback and that flashback resides
The air held a stillness a tension a wait for it
wait for it wait
And its alternate side parking day
Returning home a man on a bike passes and
says Bless You
I say have a good day So it floats up.
October
Detached I Looked for your name amongst
the scattered rocks through
graveyard through waiting ground through
boats ashore pining for the tides to rise
November
If not COVID
My body feels the extreme need to let go
Fall a part to re-awake to re-calibrate
We’re connected now We’re in sync now
In the middle of night Tossing and turning
I shout
Release me! Release me! Let me go!
Headache Lethargy Dehydration Loss of Appetite
tingles throughout
I feel it all
If Beale Street on repeat
A numbness with sensations tingles from head to tip-toes
I spoon myself with pillows
December
I’ll tell you sometime
But sometime
Never seems to come
Remind me to tell you about that sometime
Sometime sometime
Can I have
Some of Your Time?
We’ve done so much in pursuit of “Love.”
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