Essex Hemphill

This begins my yearlong series discussing the queer literary canon. I hope we all read, discuss and love queer literature more and more.
--Dr. Hal

Father, Son and Unholy Ghosts
By Essex Hemphill

i

We are not always
the bravest sons
our fathers dream.
Nor do they always
dream of us.
We don't always
recognize him
if we have never
seen his face.
We are suspicious
of strangers.
Question:
is he the one?

ii

I stand waist deep
in the decadence of forgetting.
The vain act of looking the other way.
Insisting there can be peace