here rests
my sister Josephine
born july in '29
and dead these 15 years
who carried a book
on every stroll.
when daddy was dying
she left the streets
and moved back home
to tend him.
her pimp came too
her Diamond Dick
and they would take turns
reading
a bible aloud through the house.
when you poem this
and you will she would say
remember the Book of Job.
happy birthday and hope
to you Josephine
one of the easts
most wanted.
may heaven be filled
with literate men
may they bed you
with respect.
Copyright Credit: Lucille Clifton, "here rests" from Mercy. Copyright © 2004 by Lucille Clifton. Reprinted with the permission of BOA Editions, Ltd.
Source: Mercy (BOA Editions Ltd., 2004)