GoSetaPhire

This poem is from “Black Feelings Black Talk.” Also performed on Nikki’s spoken word album “The Way I Feel.”

Seduction

One day

you gonna walk in this house

and i’m gonna have on a long African

gown

you’ll sit down and say “The Black . . .”

and i’m gonna take one arm out

then you—not noticing me at all—will say “What about

this brother . . .”

and i’m going to be slipping it over my head

and you’ll rap on about the “The revolution . . .”

while i rest your hand against my stomach

you’ll go on—as you always do—saying

“I just can’t dig . . .”

while i’m moving your hand up and down

and i’ll be taking your dashiki off

then you’ll say “What we really need . . .”

and i’ll be licking your arm

and “The way I see it we ought to . . .”

and unbuckling your pants

“And what about the situation . . .”

and taking your shorts off

then you’ll notice

your state of undress

and knowing you you’ll just say

“Nikki,

isn’t this counterrevolutionary . . .?”