—after former South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster petitions
the court to take control of the 125 million dollar James Brown I Feel Good
Trust willed to the education of needy students in South Carolina and Georgia——after the death of Prince—
Whores raised him with intellect
and Savoire Faire, always teaching,
pack your fragrant pants proper
like a mattress, stock news
paper headlines & purple
velvet cock feathers,
scrupulously tilt the tucked
microphone like its your Johnson,
hips travel best opposite of how the crow flies,
keep spinning and splendor in your daily moves,
sound is gilt-edged & saturnalian
like lightning, meant to enter
and never land, cotton slide your
closed eyes all the way back to Watusi land,
caterwaul & amplify,
exalt yourself on your backside,
spell yourself out with your feet,
the world will always prefer you in heels,
when you open up the door
sport hot curls and a sexy cape,
drop to your knees before
the end of every song,
clothes are tight for a reason,
sweat is money in any season,
men pretending to be wallflowers
are antsy in the parlor,
straining at the bit,
waiting for you to finish dying.
Nikky Finney