Duplex
Jaz Sufi
after Jericho Brown
For so long, I would allow anything.
I took the shape of clouds passing by.
Clouds passed by and took my shape from me.
I became what their shadows told me to become.
They told me to become their shadow, and I came
To follow men like a kicked dog at their heels.
To heal, I had to stop following men that kick dogs.
I had to learn the difference between love and control.
What is the difference between love and control?
One holds your hand and the other holds it down.
One hand holds a rock and the other holds a stone.
I don’t trust the difference in their definitions.
To be trusted is different than being defined.
I’ll allow anything for only so long.
