mutu is into motobikes

poem after wangechi mutu ‘people in glass towers should not imagine us’ (2003)

mutu is into motorbikes 
a happy surprise when my eyes 
land on exhaust pipe, headlights,
wired wheeled rims and front end 
fenders emerging from the fingertips, 
curve of the cheek, fold of the arm, 
arch of the foot, from foliage. a blur if 
this black woman representation is even 
anatomy, alien, human, animal, machine, 
mother nature made or some being 
we haven’t seen yet - spirit of the black 
planet descended for the day. what 
would she say of us? every nigga is 
a star but she’s seen the whole galaxy
pissed in the dirt, kicked rocks, and 
made clay of mars. molded us, 
acrylic manicures, wefts of weave, 
high heels, lipstick, and lashes.
this you call civilization? she’d ask 
side-eyeing under her mask, a new 
skin to come down to earth in. only 
designer, growly furs all sourced ethically 
fresh flowers long extinct blooming
at her feet, roots run deep and
engines revv when she arrives 
racing her back to the black planet. 

All featured artwork is by Wangechi Mutu is featured in Intertwined at The New Museum: “One Hundred Lavish Months of Bushwhack” (2004), “Hide ‘n’ Seek, Kill or Speak” (2004), “The Dancer” (2004) , “The End of carrying All” (2015), “Misguided Little Unforgivable Hierarchies” (2005), “People in Glass Towers Should Not Imagine Us” (2005).