Chad Weatherford: poem

MAN POEM

There is a space
between men
too sexy for words

There is a language
that is as unspoken
as bloodlust
and as pornographic
as procreation

There are things
women do not know
and men do not admit

Could that gang sign
be a crass innuendo?

Did you start a war
because
you needed a hug?

Would a teardrop
ruin
that platinum necklace?

I could've sworn
I heard you
giggle like a girl
just before you
squeezed off another round

Men have left
their stain
on everything

We are the reason
values run
counterclockwise
in the South

(Spare the rod
and piss off God)

Men know truth-
when it leaves us
bleeding
on the sidewalk

When it won't pay the bills

Truth gets us off
every time
and leaves us
wanting more

Men know
how to get their roll on
with two broken wheels

There is nothing
more powerful
than two men
together

"Which one
do you suppose
is the man?"

In America,
the man
will always be
the one
holding the gun.