Antebellum

Two    
Of us  
Alone in the room    
Yet the world;    
Still dividing    
Us    
(Scratched)    
Deep    
In the heart    
Of the Antebellum    
South    
like    
Gardenias unfolding,    
Around the maypole    
Of some    
Aristocratic life    
Built    
On top of me,    
With its    
Wide brim hat    
Out to lunch-    
Admiring    
The sideview/    
    
Eyes    
Polishing silver    
Over    
Some    
Well-manicured    
Overseas    
Traveler    
Set to    
Sail around    
The headscarf    
You bought    
Back    
From    
Various    
Parts    
Of the globe;    
Flashing    
Your    
Profundities/    
   
And the    
Economic growth    
Of breasts    
Made labor    
A little less    
Crude    
(With women  
Doing it)
Yet    
Just as abundant    
In terms of    
affording    
Power|    
When…    
   
You asked    
“What can I do for you, Lady?”    
I chuckled    
As we both    
Checked to see    
If we were still    
Safe    
Rewriting history    
In this diary    
Among    
Ourselves.