her aint even at de funeral

^{[a do-over]
for Mr. Douglas}

been screamin all night          god      why daddy gone
dress all distress(d)    hair dyin          fo(r) a com(b)
tussy done los(t) its hold on her         her stank
                                    bruh try to lif(t) her off flo(or)  but cant

ma’dear say    leave her on de flo{or) we late
            dress steam(d)-press(d)         miss-my-man bake(d) on her face
                        & den her yell  joe we leavin   den stan(d) still
                                    her forgot dat quic(k)              her man’s deff real-real

now ma’dear join sis’belle screamin on flo(or)
dey cabaret to prove who luv(d) joe mo(re)

Copyright © 2023 by avery r. young. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on February 20, 2023, by the Academy of American Poets.

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“Inspired by a conversation with director Timothy Douglas, ‘her aint even at de funeral’ is a sonnet that exposes a competition in love that mutual loss can’t and won’t resolve. Consequently and unfortunately, the loss issues forth a grief that only ignites even more competition. The poem braids sadness, dramatics, and comedy in the midst of grief in this African American family. The rhyme scheme offers a sense of folklore.”
—avery r. young