Ordinary

Ordinary: King William County, VA, October 15, 2011, and: The Measure of Loss L. G. Parker (bio) ORDINARY: KING WILLIAM COUNTY, VA, OCTOBER 15, 2011 His dying was ordinary. Luther sang “Never Too Much”& nobody joined him. Pill & cornbreadresidue crowded the corners of Reverend Brown’s prayerfilled mouth & nobody crackeda smile. But even in grief,my mother, nearing the door, warnsmake sure you haveall your things before we leave. I’m notcoming back. I want another momentin my Papa’s room disappearing fleshin his hospital bed inpatient radiatorshaking to keep him warm. I want,again, to wipe his drool, shakehis hand & introduce myself. I openmy mouth to say my name & he saysmy girl & we smile untilmy mother screams‘cause her daddy is dead. [End Page 619] THE MEASURE OF LOSS The man slapping my bare bottom chantingI-AM-YOUR-FA-THER is not. Again &again, his open, hungry, brown hand cracksagainst my reddening flesh, & I do notcry. Instead, I think of he who is mine& the white woman I enteredthis world through. How littleI miss her; how much I should. [End Page 620] L. G. Parker L. G. PARKER, who works for Winter Tangerine Review, is a Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop Fellow. She is completing her undergraduate studies in English at Virginia Commonwealth University. She has published work in Nepantla, Outside the YX: Queering Brown Masculinity, The Black Youth Project, and other venues. Copyright © 2016 Johns Hopkins University Press

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