CHIC FREEDOM’S REFLECTION

(for Marilyn Pryce)

One day

Marilyn marched

beside me (demon-

stration)

and we ended up

at county farm

no phone

no bail

something about

“traffic vio-

lation”

which irrelevance

Marilyn dismissed

with a shrug

She

had just got

back

from

Paris France

In

the

Alabama

hell

she

smell-

ed

so

wonderful

like

spring

& love

&

freedom

She

wore a

SNCC pin

right between

her breasts

near her

heart

& with a chic

(on “jail?”)

accent

& nod of

condescent

to frumpy

work-house

hags

powdered her nose

tip-

toe

in a badge.