Devils in America
I was born on all angels day
but throughout my life
i’ve been a bitch out of hell/
don’t nobody show up at my funeral
to call me nice or some shit like that/
save it for turncoat cocksuckers
who on their deathbeds
open their mouths wide to claim god/
though christianity befuddles me
i’m amazed at how it enslaves
the gay african-american community/
lately i’ve wished there’s such a thing
as the almighty ’cause on judgment day
i’d unload a few choice words:
hey omniscient you
do you feel proud with so much
madness committed in your name/
hey omnipotent you
ain’t you got nothing better to do
than making folks suffer/
hey omnipresent you
do you remember my lovers & I buttfuck/
go screw yourself
asshole of the universe/
can I get a witness/
Notes:
This poem is part of “Déjà Vu: A Folio on Assotto Saint.” You can read the rest of the portfolio in the May 2023 issue. All poems and essays in the portfolio are from Sacred Spells: Collected Works by Assotto Saint (Nightboat Books, 2023). Reprinted with permission of Nightboat Books.
Source: Poetry (May 2023)