MOLE
I’ve made a mountain
out of your mole,
the surgeon chuckled.
No, I’m the one
the patient says
imagining all sorts
of sharp blades
and rusty hacksaws.
I want the mole removed
while I have insurance.
I figured on a burn
not a surgeon
I didn’t get sleep.
What is M. D. F. A. C. S.
anyway? Medical Doctor
Federal Agent for the
College of Surgeons.
Now the procedure
and a review of
my subcutaneous protoplasm.
Also an observation.
Only one millimeter of my
skin is black.
The rest is white flesh.
The mole had no race.
Funny how God made us.
minerva is the poetry pen name and nickname of Gail Hawkins, a journalist, poet-teacher and entertainment writer who covered several of the jazz greats back in the day and was on the staff of the National Geographic Society. In her hometown of Philadelphia, neighbors called her “Minerva” as a child for her old head. Making the connection with the Roman goddess of wisdom and war, the name stuck as one word with a small ‘m.’ Her work has been widely published and recorded including “Exploded Views: a San Diego Spoken Word Compilation,” a chapbook titled “The Wall: Poems” and “Chicken Soup for the African American Soul.” She has lived on both coasts and continues to publish.
Poetry & Art San Diego 