Art and poetry on page and stage
14
Darryl Alladice
3rd Row
shame on me
sitting there thinking about
my own eventual death/
hope it’s quick
pictures of family and friends
streamed alongside long playing versions
of miles nancy wilson and the o’jays
my daughter still likes toni braxton and babyface
not dre
not dre’s beats
the seersucker suit I bought last spring
should fit well blue tulip in the lapel
canary yellow tie with a tie-clip not too tight
opal window pane cuff links
a book of haiku still open
perhaps a few unfinished potato chips
(unsalted, please)
the sports page a bit dog-eared
but folded back perfectly
shame on me
sitting there in the third row
while others laughed and mingled
some with kleenex in tow
me being pensive about how to throw the knuckleball
on opening day/
maybe we win the pennant this year
taking measured glimpses at my mentor
during his wake
my journal pleading for a new pencil
Darryl Alladice is a writer from New York currently living in New York. His work focuses on growing up in Harlem and Brooklyn, having Sickle Cell Anemia. He has performed at various venues, City College of New York, Queens College, Boston Public Library, Schomburg Research Center, numerous times at Cornelia Street Cafe, 440 Gallery in Brooklyn. He along with several others have formed a non-profit organization called One Breath Rising whose mission is to produce quality artistry in intimate settings, i.e. jazz, spoken word, and world music.