Sean Singer was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and grew up in Florida. His first book Discography won the 2001 Yale Series of Younger Poets Prize, selected by W.S. Merwin, and the Norma Farber First Book Award from the Poetry Society of America. He is also the recipient of a Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. His poems appear in Drunken Boat, La Petite Zine, Salmagundi, Tin House, Pleiades and others. He lives in Harlem, New York City.
Billie, Later
1
Wounds etch themselves above and below
Drink sober lungfulls of hush.
Bloodsoap & will, the threadbare
Noises of an amber tube and a bird.
Welcome to the district of snow-loneliness.
My list: a towel for redness,
Taboos for my doll, spasms of Amen.
Something emerges from a chord—
A pigeon egg, snowsilent, resilient, secret
Holding its hand toward you,
Holding its pink spotlight,
Finding a Roosevelt dime,
I wake up to a new sun,
a clear and tender quiet in each bone.
2
Billie blue as mama's
chinaberry tree
ain't greased
since the big bean
collared a nod
in the early black
back of the club
so thick with smoke
& lady up front blowing blues
till my hair hurts
spurts of shying sometimey
trouble you know
in the black fracture of night
she's back hopdog cutie
killer diller
face like a brown egg
beg in the black
like jack the bear
there lady baby
color of a chocolate dress
juicy lucy that
shazam doowah
bang bang outflow
sensation called yes
3
I had too many husbands.
Last one beat me black and blue—
Then he was out the door,
He said, Baby better me than you.
I got good and drunk,
I couldn't even see.
No matter how much money I make,
I ain't never been free.
He used to stay out late,
Now he don't come home at all.
I know by that,
There's another mule kicking in my stall.
If you don't like my ocean,
Don't fish in my sea.
Stay out of my valley,
And let my mountain be.
Let me be your rag-doll,
Until your china come.
If you beat me ragged,
I've got to beat you some.
If he walks out the door,
He won't be gone long.
I'll be up on the stage,
In my needle of song.
My list: a towel for redness,
Taboos for my doll, spasms of Amen.
Something emerges from a chord—
A pigeon egg, snowsilent, resilient, secret
Holding its hand toward you,
Holding its pink spotlight,
Finding a Roosevelt dime,
I wake up to a new sun,
a clear and tender quiet in each bone.
2
Billie blue as mama's
chinaberry tree
ain't greased
since the big bean
collared a nod
in the early black
back of the club
so thick with smoke
& lady up front blowing blues
till my hair hurts
spurts of shying sometimey
trouble you know
in the black fracture of night
she's back hopdog cutie
killer diller
face like a brown egg
beg in the black
like jack the bear
there lady baby
color of a chocolate dress
juicy lucy that
shazam doowah
bang bang outflow
sensation called yes
3
I had too many husbands.
Last one beat me black and blue—
Then he was out the door,
He said, Baby better me than you.
I got good and drunk,
I couldn't even see.
No matter how much money I make,
I ain't never been free.
He used to stay out late,
Now he don't come home at all.
I know by that,
There's another mule kicking in my stall.
If you don't like my ocean,
Don't fish in my sea.
Stay out of my valley,
And let my mountain be.
Let me be your rag-doll,
Until your china come.
If you beat me ragged,
I've got to beat you some.
If he walks out the door,
He won't be gone long.
I'll be up on the stage,
In my needle of song.
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