Drip
by Quenton Baker

Read the automated transcript.

for George Stinney, Jr.

It’s a fine spring day.
Not too hot, no rain.
Two scoops
of Alcolu’s finest sweet cream
just for you, little man.
Take your time,
enjoy the fat chill
of each lick
and don’t let nobody rush you.
No matter if you finish
before it starts to melt,
let the sugary expansion
run an opal river
down the dark bed
of your small arm.
Let it fall tiptiptip
to the stone floor
little man
like a milky deluge
and you, the little black god
of sweet cream rain
blessing the valley beneath you.

"Drip" by Quenton Baker. Used by permission of the poet.