Note:Â Â Â Â truth is not beauty
neither is     beauty equivalent to truth
dismissi ng the initial —
Eve    (and Serpent)    Know what God knows.
Eve    (and Adam)       What is it you cannot live without?
moving towards…    an apple was not the gilden fruit    of the garden
did not symbolize    knowledge/rank
pragmatism:    teeth    (cleaned)    shine    (red)    to some degree
to razor’s edge    training incisor(s)
Skin is porous
Face the force of earth climbing through
Decay    on the inside
flawed mechanics    (Die in open air)
cell level rot    without it’s skin
flesh    soft like muscle
non-tendrilous    molecular matter    clumps
core through    Eat it all    chew    seeds/stem
texture:Â Â Â Â the soft, brittle tissue (fibrous)Â Â Â Â Â moist
to stay whole    (intact)    conjuncted
The splitting sound is    that something must be devoured
over    and over
in practice    once a day
Place the arrow on your head
Draw the bow
Don’t move
—Kamau Rucker
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Kamau Rucker is a poet, playwright, singer/songwriter, and educator. He received an MFA in Poetry from GMU in 2009. He is also a current MFA candidate at Hollins University, and a Cave Canem fellow. Recent publications include The Heat, The Day, and This Moment (San Francisco Bay Press), Conditions of Light (Pudding House Press), Poems for Living Waters, and Salamander.
