Or

By Thomas Sayers Ellis

Or Oreo, or

worse. Or ordinary.

Or your choice

of category

or

Color

or any color

other than Colored

or Colored Only.

Or “Of Color”

or

Other

or theory or discourse

or oral territory.

Oregon or Georgia

or Florida Zora

or

Opportunity

or born poor

or Corporate. Or Moor.

Or a Noir Orpheus

or Senghor

or

Diaspora

or a horrendous

and tore-up journey.

Or performance. Or allegory’s armor

of ignorant comfort

or

Worship

or reform or a sore chorus.

Or Electoral Corruption

or important ports

of Yoruba or worry

or

Neighbor

or fear of . . .

of terror or border.

Or all organized

minorities.

Copyright Credit: Thomas Sayers Ellis, "Or" from . Copyright © by Thomas Sayers Ellis. Reprinted by permission of Poetry magazine.

Source: Poetry (October 2006)