The Things in Black Men’s Closets
on the top shelf
of the closet
is the hat my father
wears on special occasions
it rests next to the large jar
he saves pennies in
his head is always bare
when i see him walking
in the street
i once sat in his bedroom
watching him search
between sweaters and suits
looking for something missing
a tie perhaps
then he stopped
and slowly walked to the closet
took the hat from the shelf
i sat on the bed
studying his back
waiting for him to turn
and tell me who died
Ethelbert Miller, “The Things in Black Men’s Closets” from First Light: New and Selected Poems. Copyright © 1994 by Ethelbert Miller. Reprinted by permission of Black Classic Press.
Source:
First Light: New and Selected Poems
(1994)
