D. Musa Springer
He loudly proclaims that he has nothing to do with these Mau-Mau, these terrorists, these throat-slitters” – Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth, “Concerning Violence”
(i’ve known ghosts and ghouls who walk like heaven depends on it; pot holes deep enough to admit they want to ruin those who pass over them; grains of sand strong enough to acknowledge how unlikely it is to become glass. we bonded over roads diverged apokalyptic pasts and seeing everything in red.
the last true drag queen i knew was a bad bitch that could swish pepperspray like listerine and always heard her music playing on chevy radios in heaven when others couldn’t hear it /
inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un. i found my way to where the smell of her incense runs away and left bundles of roses, lavender, plums, saffron, and gold for her to carry with her.
weirdos kept me sharp and safe when the textbooks dulled my edge, and the closest i’ve gotten to god was when she asked if she could bum a cigarette with her hand already stretched out towards me. she knew death and rocky horror and didn’t give a single fuck if i thought she looked greedy. she told me so much about life, i ended up learning about death.
she showed me nights where the air feels crowded and triggers aren’t pulled yet bones somewhere crack all the same. first time a shadow realizes Fanon ain’t talkin’ butter knives: same night a blade itches to press against the musty neck of a colonizer.
i’ve heard stories of sheiks who put down the good book and picked up a piece of metal when time came. i’ve watched clowns and carnies throw stronger punches than those creeps in suits and ties who wear masks in layers, and i’ve seen high-heeled jokes snuff a crinkled sheet of porcelaine paper from underneath thirty six inches of platinum blonde synthetic with ease.)
D. Musa Springer is a cultural worker, community organizer, and independent researcher. They are a member of the Walter Rodney Foundation, and host of the Groundings podcast.
