My joy is not for barter
or for bother
which is to say
I do not have to venture into
a den of wolves & emerge unscathed
just to say I did it
I do not have to reach across the aisle
and risk the tripwire set out for me
I do not have to entertain the other side
if I am standing in what is just & righteous
So let my joy be an uninterrupted continuum
an eternal Essence Fest
the loudest game of spades
a high voltage Electric Slide
a barbecue with Karen-free potato salad
a fish fry weighing down styrofoam plates
a howling Black belly laugh
a family reunion of
beloved blood & nonblood kin
an imperfect smile that grins regardless
a happiness not reliant on
them or their rules of engagement
Let my joy segregate itself
from their delusion of democracy
let it be separate but holy
let it be tribal uncensored a fresh love
for it has spent far too much time
living outside of itself.
