an erasure for emily b. and tonie nicole wells
One and then the two
Two and then the three
Three and then the four
Then you gotta … (LEAVE)
Then you gotta …
Then you gotta …
Yo, these niggas can’t breathe when I come through
Hum too, some shoes, gotta be twenty, man
It’s not even funny, they can’t (breathe)
The chokehold’s too tight
The left looks too right
You know what, you right
These bitches can’t (breathe)
Look, look, they hearts racing, they start chasing
But I’m so fast when I blow past that they can’t (breathe)
In the presence of the man
Your future look better than your past if you present with the man
You better (breathe)
One and then the two
Two and then the three
Three and then the four
Then you gotta …
Then you gotta …
Then you gotta …
LEAVE!
what the world gon’ say ’bout a single mother?
same shit they say ’bout a battered one.
q. what she do to make him go off
a. stay
fight. tooth ’n’ nail. call daddy.
when yo’ baby daddy forget he not yo’ daddy.
when your whole relationship been a game of dress-up
& the costumes come off
in front the camera. in front the world.
and you live long enough to be hashtagged into fault
defense of the abusive black rapper
stretches longer than turkey day leftovers
& you surplus, crumbs from the dust of woman and color.
black bitch.
gold digger.
how dare you save yourself.
we told you, die.
so we could RIP you, sis.
look at tonie,
gone
from giving us life on theshaderoom
to dead on the basement floor.
barry gets life, but not her.
devalued. dumb. doomed.
y’know, i do wanna see both sides.
rip entry & exit wound.
repent and reform.
i’ll wait and will and work
’til then …
“I got a bullet with your [fame] on it.”
one and then the two
* lyrics from fabolous’s “breathe.”