Carousel

Source: KQED

Unpublished.  "Rings like silver..." and "rainbow across my shoulders" are from traditional railroad work songs -- some of the words survive in "John Henry," "Spike Driver Blues" or "Nine Pound Hammer"; "even if it is built of jade..." is from a poem carved into the wall (see image) at the immigration detention center on Angel Island, also by anonymous, "..black ink" is from the same poem. 

Carousel

born in motion & a song one face released
in brightness turns back into the dark
with arm recurved
intent on seizing
the brass ring from the devil’s jaws

the devil who named me named this song
a railroad spike in the calliope to ring
like silver shine
like gold pour out like
the black ink of white men’s laws

i was born of water how could i lift
the hammer bring it around
quick as ice
as firm as quicksand raising
this rainbow across my shoulders

so i drowned here amidst the soft
willows bent to kiss the riverbank swirl
in open branches
my body spun
in slow turns before the border

so i was thrown back into the sea here “even if
it is built of jade it has turned into a cage”
carving the wooden jail to
turn the carousel
with my fingertips my lips my tongue

in darkness among the wooden crates
do our yearnings hide
in the back alleyway
a busboy hauling out the night trash
pauses to look up where the sky would be

looks down for this iron spike this song for
his and not the devil’s praise
for a song of turning
treasure back from
broken heaps of conquistadors’ gold