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