A Raven and Wolf
Jari Bradley of Youth Speaks performed and co-created the poem "A Raven and Wolf" with B-Lady. The poem reflects the true and intimate reflections of B-Lady, a youth participant from Beyond the Odds. The poem performed was created in collaboration with Youth Speaks and Beyond the Odds.
A Raven and Wolf
a wolf’s grin slick
like the night air on the wings
of a raven
perched on a sidewalk
sips of MGD
go down smooth
like conversation
two creatures of the night
shooting the breeze
6 o clock in the morning
intoxication
fur and feather brush
numbly against one another
there is no secret to what happens
when one sleeps with dogs
but who knew that lies
manifested themselves
thru the flees
of the unsaid
in the warmth of a
drunken wolf’s bed
a broken condom
echoed the morning’s air
like a single gunshot
more than a mere tear in latex
the rupture didn’t stop there
a relationship
that resulted in bull#$%@ and a miscarriage
coupled with a raven’s growing suspicion
of sudden illness
a sickness unlike any bird flu
unbeknownst to her
the wolf was sick too
too late to cry wolf
shacked up in a hospital bed
recovering from
post surgery
a growth developed under
the side of her wing
found the wolf in the next wing
of the hospital
a life threatening coincidence
the wolf finally shared his secret
December 2006, proved to be
as cold as the chill
of rain drops
on the raven’s beak
planned parenthood
proved something
the raven already knew
a test result passed to her
a hand disconnected from
eyes
it was incredibly hard
for Kate
to look a raven
dead in her face
besides
the raven
was sure of her fate anyway
a fate she never asked for
the wolf never told her
his status
because he claimed
it was something
she never questioned
he more accurately
described as a sheep
in wolf’s clothing
preying on her ignorance
little was this wolf
aware
of a raven’s acute intelligence
the way her tears would
be transformed into defiance
knowing that the diagnosis of H.I.V.
doesn’t mean she has to settle
for dying
she lives
with a hard fought understanding
to ensure her children’s safe landing
in charted territory
she claws at the belief that some
carry about H.I.V. and a limited
existence
and expands that narrow view
she lives with every intent
on seeing the next day.
Written by Jari Bradley of Youth Speaks
Beyond the Odds comes to you from Public Radio Makers Quest 2.0, an initiative of the Association of Independents in Radio, Incorporated. The project is made possible with funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
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