Erica Dawson

REMEDY


hysteria
was a white thing
Black people would
just slap the taste
right out your mouth
we never talked
of mental illnesses
mom says laughing
as if the notion’s
itself insane     

~ ~ ~

 remedy:
collard liquor for vitamins
castor oil for stomachaches
turpentine for the common cold
black-strap molasses for anemia
goose grease for a congested chest

~ ~ ~



remedy:
to fda approve

      venlafaxine

                                                                                   trazodone

                                                                                    sertraline

                                                                                 risperidone

                                                                              quetiapine

                                                                           paroxetine

                                                                        oxcarbazepine

                                                                    olanzapine

                                                                nortriptyline

                                                             nefazodone

          alprazolam                               lorazepam                               

             aripiprazole                        lithium   

     asenapine                  fluvoxamine

           bupropion         fluoxetine      

     buspirone duloxetine

            cariprazine

 ~ ~ ~

remedy:
a means of reparation

i’ll take my 40 acres &
the mariana trench the eye
of a boy name hurricane &
my mule :: maybe then we will call
it ever :: how long it lasts depends 
on a premature crocus thriving
in a snow-covered yard when the sun
fools it & we think that it’s warm
think there’ll be more always there’s
more always there’s more always there’s  


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