from Otherness by by M. Ayodele Heath
Neckrollology
The most venomous snake
in all of Africa is not the black mamba,
though it does come from
the depths of the Congo, pulled deep
from the arch in her back, deep from hand
on hip, winding & winding, wound
up, whip-
lash—reptilian
stance of one about to
strike something. Make space: This
is a cosmic conjure of ancient name like
Zanzibar, Zambia, or Mozambique, which left the Greeks
baffled by its geometry. Its improvised axis
is jazz, falls between
3rd & 4th dimensions. Angular rotation: 720
degrees. Rotational speed: 45 revolutions
per minute. She spun it & spun it
out
of control, a neckroll:
If I had wanted a double
cheeseburger, I would have ordered a double
cheeseburger. How the hell did you get
double cheeseburger
from two-piece snack?
