the salve trade

all down on perdido street, from san juan

to inglewood, up on that bridge, up where the

soul trees grow by soul, dance to fantastic

information while we kick off the modern world.

the whistle sounded good like a kiss on a train.

a track below us in the cabinet in the tunnel

under the water. a steady boom to lift us out.

nobody lived, not without digging, but he wore

that ivory waistcoat and we loved to see that shit.

I love my people too much to be around them

at school. I slip underneath the cinema tree, move myself

in half, dance to fray, write a paper on the salve trade.

the big fat women and the heliocopters they bring

with them to watch them and their kids. whole long-

ass sheets of improper names. we refused to act right

at the hospital and I was right with ’em. at the wrong time

I started reading my paper and ash flew from their big ol’

legs. we rub down and dance everyday at the broke clinic

and I was right with ’em. johnny griffin turns to this long

burning to pray for fire. make a song about the sky they stole.

if you ain’t gon’ get down then what you come here for?

what they bring your ass up in here for if you ain’t gon’

tear shit up? if you wasn’t just as happy to be here as you was

to come then what you gon’ do, simple motherfucker? the salve trade

Source: hughson’s tavern (Leon Works, 2008)