text written for Kandis Williams / AFTER THE ECLIPSE Berlin reading

When in the park at night
When dark
Your shoulder on my knee let me tell you
About creatures
​You’re running towards them
In blissful ignorance
These eyes waiting
So many eyes waiting
Only despair greater than the wait
Only struggle for unquestionable survival
Pure animal instinct you’ll never be able to fight
Young girl be aware
Young girl and take care
Why going from somewhere to somewhere else
We’re running from Baltimore to LA
From Berlin to Amsterdam
We’re running from Bangkok to Vientiane
From Yamoussoukro to Kumasi
You’ll meet them everywhere
Starving eyes
White wide open amidst the foliage
Waiting for our night prey
Would you be so kind
As to let me carry your head
While you drowsily lean on the side
Let me carry your weight
Because we share the same burden
Except I know about the vampires and you don’t
Girl I don’t want to frighten you
But this world is worse than you thought it was
Girl they are here in the dark
They feel you as a warm manifestation
Vibes of a red fluid filled with your soul
They want it without knowing
But you should know they’re innocent
Pure and striving for more
Your pain the future shadow of their wound
They want your history your roots your
Them in the ever-present swallowing what you could have become
How painful their enslavement to survival
What a mirror of yours
Girl there’s so many people now with us
I come closer and tell you more