THE EVOLUTION OF THE TALK or THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN OUR ACTIVE SHOOTER DRILL

(for Stephon Clark’s grandmother)

shave your face. a haircut

even. kiss your kids. your

partner. your parents. tell

them you listened. you kissed

their asses like you were

taught. kissed their asses and

still. walk. or run. don’t

matter. glue your identification

to your forehead. wrap yourself

in the flag. hide your slang

under your tongue. delete

your profile. scrub

the net. clean your blood. prepare

your body for peepholes

no one will ever peer into.