Blue Line to Wonderland

By K. T. Mitchell

Blue Line To Wonderland chronicles a poet's meditations on poverty, class, and individual freedom in America.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Apr 12, 2011
• ISBN: 9781257560530

Book preview

AVTHOR

BL VE LINE

REFLECTIVE LESSON

When I was a child ma

told of

Grandma Stella born to

a black mother and Mr.

Auguillard, a native

who appeared out of

the bayou one day—a

Creole.

Like products in an

assembly line

antebellum

genteelness stamped

their offspring–

fair, paper bag test

failure,

freckled but nappy.

Declared blessed with

good hair, when

Stella was old enough,

to the chagrin

of her sisters and

aunts, she

cut it to her ears

When I was a child I

prayed to have

straight hair right after

the plea

for people to love one

another.

High school my dream

came

from England in a box

with the

brand name African

Pride emblazoned

on the side. Chemically

burned,

for six years. Twenty-

one

was old enough to

realize.

Starting at the nape

with borrowed shears

to the chagrin of my

sisters and mother, I

Cut it to my ears.

BL VE LINE TO WONDERLAND

Four hundred and

twenty

nanometers

enough space to

store all of humanity’s

electronic interfaces

woe document

signatures death

pallor house paint

authoritarian uniforms

mystery fashion

obsessions flags

chakras iris bias sky

fantasies

and transportation

labels.

Couldn’t hide in the

baby boy

hued room anymore

under velour blankies.

Grey and navy colored

bus

carries the prodigal one

from the capital of

the Confederacy.

Mantras from relatives

envisioned as Maasai

elders

reverberate drown

out the headphones

don’t get pregnant

don’t forget us

you can always come

home

don’t trust too much

stay away from those

drugs

The A line stretches

from the Bronx

to the beach. Before

the Rockaways,

had get off at Liberty

Avenue.

Past tin shanties and

projects

on Pennsylvania Avenue

homeless women reside

in a dilapidated school.

They

scrape together change

to