One for Strom

by Kevin Simmonds

Strum the banjo.
Strom is dead.
Tickertape, tickertape
Soul parade.
Grits-cooking woman.
Lower your head.
Strom is dead, y’all.
Strom is dead.
Bible school dropout,
Scripture’s been read.
Bull Connor’s waiting.
(No more hoses)
The fire instead.


KEVIN SIMMONDS is a writer, musician and performance artist originally from New Orleans. In 2011, his debut collection, Mad for Meat (Salmon Poetry) will appear along with his edited anthology, Collective Brightness: LGBTIQ Poets on Faith, Religion and Spirituality (Sibling Rivalry Press). He lives in San Francisco.