Originally from East St Louis, Illinois, Joseph A. Brown became ordained to the priesthood in 1972. Some of his other books include To Stand on the Rock: Meditations on Black Catholic Identity (Orbis, 1998), and Sweet, Sweet Spirit: Prayer Services from the Black Catholic Church (2006). He is now on the advisory board of Presence: a Journal of Catholic Poetry.
Lord Knows
lord knows honey
she said folding her hands
into the flowers of her apron
you got to make your
own road
--------------sometime
it was her wisdom
so i waited
coming and going
aint gonna do
when you get to be
old like me----just
going
---------aint it like
some folks----to jump
on their own backs
stead of using the road
to get somewhere fools
is fools but you aint never been
one you hear
---------------sure gonna be hard
on your mama though
but she’ll do all right
-------------------------now
before you go i wants to give you
a little something
-----------------------to help out
and i still have it
and the dollar bill
she unfolded slowly and put
into my hand
Entry written by D.S. Martin. His latest poetry collection is Ampersand (2018, Cascade). His books are available through Amazon, and Wipf & Stock, including the anthologies The Turning Aside, and Adam, Eve, & the Riders of the Apocalypse.
Posts
