By Thomas Sayers Ellis
Or Oreo, or
worse. Or ordinary.
Or your choice
of category
or
Color
or any color
other than Colored
or Colored Only.
Or “Of Color”
or
Other
or theory or discourse
or oral territory.
Oregon or Georgia
or Florida Zora
or
Opportunity
or born poor
or Corporate. Or Moor.
Or a Noir Orpheus
or Senghor
or
Diaspora
or a horrendous
and tore-up journey.
Or performance. Or allegory’s armor
of ignorant comfort
or
Worship
or reform or a sore chorus.
Or Electoral Corruption
or important ports
of Yoruba or worry
or
Neighbor
or fear of . . .
of terror or border.
Or all organized
minorities.
Thomas Sayers Ellis, "Or" from . Copyright © by Thomas Sayers Ellis. Reprinted by permission of Poetry magazine.
Source: Poetry (February 2010)
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