By Willie Perdomo
We used to say,
That’s my heart right there.
As if to say,
Don’t mess with her right there.
As if, don’t even play,
That’s a part of me right there.
In other words, okay okay,
That’s the start of me right there.
As if, come that day,
That’s the end of me right there.
As if, push come to shove,
I would fend for her right there.
As if, come what may,
I would lie for her right there.
As if, come love to pay,
I would die for that right there.
Source: Poetry (January 2019)
Poet Bio
Willie Perdomo is the author of Where a Nickel Costs a Dime (1996), a finalist for the Poetry Society of America Norma Farber First Book Award; Smoking Lovely (2004), winner of the PEN/Open Book Award; The Essential Hits of Shorty Bon Bon (2014), a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist, and The Crazy Bunch (forthcoming 2019). He has received fellowships from Columbia University, Lucas Artists Program, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and the New York Foundation for the Arts. His work has appeared in numerous publications including The New York Times Magazine, Poetry magazine, the<em style="font-size:…
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