Sometimes on Sundays

uncle Tom would show up

smelling like alcohol

and giving away 20 dollar bills

to all the kids.

Mama would make him

dinner and a cup of coffee

before Daddy collected back

all the money and drove him

to the bus stop, saying

"go on back to your family, Tom."

And every night Daddy would 

light a cigar and watch the 

CBS news or Lawrence Welk 

in his rocking chair,

laughing a little.

And every morning he would read

the paper in his undershirt and 

suspenders and drive his dump 

truck down the street and

employ black men even 

when it was taboo --  

Throw bread crumbs off the 

porch, saying "The birds gotta 

eat too, Mama." and how do

men who wear their work boots 

every day shrivel up and die?