astronomers can decipher the age of a star by their spin rate
the scientific term for this is gyrochronology
Gyros meaning rotation
Chronos meaning age
Logos meaning study
A study of age through rotation
my first tattoo was a star
a branding of sorts
something to tell my body apart from the others
My flesh akin to ruin
akin to loss
the study of age through rotation
a preteen
a toy
a gun
a boy
a bullet
a barrel
a trigger
a finger
a cell
a trash bag
a backyard
a playground
a car
my resolve
every nigga is a star
meant for shooting
not for target.
q. how do you tell the age of a dead body?
a. you check for blackness. if no blackness the body will still be breathing.
b. you pluck a star from its mouth.
c. the more massive the star, the faster it burns up its fuel supply, and the shorter its life.
d. the most massive stars can burn out before they finish high school.
corpses in crosswalks
rising to the hudson surface
swinging from trees
you can’t metaphor modern-day lynchings
when there are actually modern-day lynchings
bodies buried beneath me whisper run
to my ankles between cackles
I am always weeping
my love asks why i cry at night.
Like the stars,
my tears are most visible in the dark.