GOOD GIRLS, by Shannon Barber

Shannon Barber Is a 40 year old author from the Pacific Northwest. Their work has appeared recently in Wear Your Voice Magazine, Ravishly and Witchcraft Magazine. They are the author of the forthcoming poetry book, Gasoline Heart by Lark Books this Fall. For more of their poetry please see #gorgonpoetics and all the genres at their author site. 

God Loves Me

You say, God loves you.
I say, new phone who dis?
Is this the God who made me in his image.
A dark image.
With a soul or nah?
You said elsewhere
Niggers ain’t got no souls
And
Queers
Shit…son.
Nigger Queers
Gotta die.
Cause your God said so.
You say, we are all God’s children.
I say, new heart who dis?
How am I gonna
Exalt an ain’t shit Daddy
Who can’t protect me from
My brothers
Who want to
Rape
And
Maim
And
Decimate their dark siblings.
You say, your God told you I’m the problem
If
I’d only accept the yoke
Of his and your
Love and kindness
With the blood of my foremothers
And
Sisters
And brothers
And
Babies
On your greedy mouths
New phone
Who dis?
Dis the same mouth
That in secret promised
Me rape
And murder
The same mouh that says,
God Bless you?
Who posts loving psalms
And Proverbs
And hopefulness draped in
Insta filter finery.
Until you see the dark face
Of you siblings
And then
Your God said
New phone
Who dis?

King Bitch

I walk like
I don’t care
Like
I want you to
Step aside
And genuflect
Remember
I
Am
Your
King.
I move like
Nothing hurts
And
I don’t
Actually
Want
To limp.
I stumble
Like
I’m drunk
On
You
And
Possibility
When
What moves me
Is like
Fear
And
Love
And
Compulsion
To live
In spite
Of your gaze
And hate
And Atavistic
Regressive
Lust.
I walk like
I am everything
And
You can’t fuck
With me.

Good Girls

Good girls don’t fuck
Good girls don’t say no
Good girls don’t dress like sluts
Good girls don’t dress like prudes
Good girls don’t walk like that
Good girls don’t
Good girls don’t breathe
Good girls don’t tell
Good girls don’t have opinions
Good girls don’t get drunk
Good girls don’t be uptight
Good girls don’t
Good girls don’t live
Good girls don’t
Good girls don’t
Good girls don’t
Good girls
Good girls
Good girls
Good
Good
Good
Gone.