On the lateness of groceries

Cohen never
brought those groceries in
but
Zelenskyy
orated them home,
While
brown/black backs,
bent to that burden.
Raw from fascists
haters of
women
child
other
stock shelves
"Rule of law"
organize fridge
"Justice"
bananas on table
"Rules-based international order"
Find tea
"Stolen children"
Can't write the rest.

NanaBjörn Sep 23

Let's set a date

Let's set a date
a time
to gather
to plan
to set alight
infrastructures of patriarchy

roof off parliament

watch them scurry

doors off banks
watch them worry
windows off businesses
watch them whine
pussies closed
emotional labour withdrawn
curfews for dangerous

cause
this world
build on towers of dicks
jenga block games of greed
gonna get us dead

NanaBjorn Sep 2023

To Woody Guthrie and those who hold our songs

Shell shock?
Communist sympathies?
used to worry
no history
left to us.
But that day
we sang the old ones
"We shall overcome."
The fascists recorded
called us crazy
but we practiced
all our lives
for that moment.
For every ancestor
who asked hard questions
who fought for better,
We are poor vessels.
but we retell your stories,
we carry your fires,
"Who am I to question?"
I was born a questions.
When babies still stolen,
When queers were dangerous,
When kids were stupid.
Too stupid to stop,
I keep asking
keep practicing
can't forget the words
press tune to flesh,
"We shall..."

NanaBjörn Aug 23
To Joel who taught me songs

Tinder me well

Tinder me well

pyre

abundantly

furnished

Robe me

velvet lies

decadent silks

self delusions

furs and feathers

capitalist contradictions

like morning cappuccinos

consumed daily.

skin inked

every shame.

Perfumed

Kohled,

like courtesans of old,

heart canopic jar,

pearlescent treasure

No Matter -

as long as it burns.

Gather the children

To bear witness,

To introduce torch

to tinder.

Futures only they can see.

NanaBjörn Oct 23

Bodies tattooed by capitalism

to do list
ordered anxiety
fuck em!

I've lost the ordinal
Floating with mediocracy,
Carnal Chaos
Can't fit
Too young/old
Too hot/cold
Fuck em!

To do?
Or not to do?
Bring Goya to bed?
Fanaticise a threesome
Men who dissect
but never see.
Picasso rearranges,
Dali melts,
Augustine shames.
Fuck em!

Bring Lorde to table,
A Council of Wise
Bodies tattooed by capitalism
Hearts forged in Community
Breath rooted in survive

NanaBjörn Oct 23

To the ties that I cut

"Here's to the ties that I've cut"*
here's to the lives possible
closed perhaps?
transformed?

I want our parting
dramatic
dark shadows
clever repartee

But
let house lights
show stark
the divvying of accounts
which memories
you guardian
which
to place behind glass
museum of goodbyes
surely
ours needs a place

Such a goodbye
they invented
new ways for time
new songs
to tell of healing
hating
accepting
destroying
creating.

NanaBjorn Sep 2023

*Keaton Henson - Epilogue - Track one