o hold us in your arms wing us not afraid 
of education and self-respect you who are our home always 

fathers rape sons rape daughters we are loathed in bogalusa louisiana 
you are love we are lonely cotton belt deep south lonely 
we beat our children on the face or body 
where abrasions indicate a struggle wives husbands mothers fathers 
blood whip one another 
strike each other’s skulls with bricks bottles 
burn holes in each other 
gash knife wounds in the flesh abandon and butcher each other 
hide the bodies in broad daylight under leaves or light dirt 
murder mother father child blood love we invent you God 
o corollary to our illusions but you won’t be invented you who love harmony simply are 

                                                                 iv.3 
                                                                  —for Yusef Komunyakaa 

Shann Ray | Atomic Theory 432, iv.4
Contents | Mudlark No. 64 (2018)