The Laws of Man
and Amina Lawal,
What If This Wasn't 2003?
the stone is blind
but not unfeeling
it wishes amina lawal
no harm
it does not accuses
a nation rich on greed
it understands
the trajectory
from slavery to the old testament
from self hatred to misogyny
only the guilty can accuse
yes she allowed a man
not her husband
to seed her garden
did anyone inquire
if he was tender
did she caress him
whispered her love in his ear
and has he come forward
a wall of protection
the stone wants to know
demands to know
does amina regret the child
evidence of her infidelity
how completely deaf
are those who would
make of mineral
a weapon
Opal Palmer Adisa
Opal Palmer Adisa
will participate in the Tenderloin Book Fair and Poetry
Festival, San Francisco, January 30-31, 2004. Dr. Adisa
teachers at Oakland's
College of Arts and Craft.
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