for Jesse



These things usually

start small

on the soccer field/in the playground –

you be the goalkeeper, no you!

The N word

fell heavy from a rooftop

like a gargoyle.
You kept it together son

but it hurt deep in your gullet

reminding

you were grotesque:

your father white, mother not.

You felt your race

like a granite weight.
The next time

the N is fast bowled at you

keep your shoulders straight,

your grip soft

bat that monster with power

into the brilliant blue sky

where it belongs.