Lucille Clifton




“marley was dead to begin with”

               from A Christmas Carol

then in trenchtown and in babylon
the sound of marleys ghost 
rose and began to fill the air
like in the christmas tale

his spirit shuddered and was alive
again     his dreadful locks
thick in the voices of his children

ziggy and i and i marley again
standing and swaying
everything gonna be alright
little darling
no woman       no cry