Vessel. Parneshia Jones

      

      VESSEL

      © 2015, Text by Parneshia Jones

      © 2015, Cover art by Mildred Howard

      All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher: Milkweed Editions, 1011 Washington Avenue South, Suite 300, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415.

      [phone]

       www.milkweed.org

      Published 2015 by Milkweed Editions

      Printed in Canada

      Cover design by Mary Austin Speaker

      Cover art by Mildred Howard

      Author Portrait by Susan Aurinko

      15 16 17 18 19 5 4 3 2 1

       First Edition

      Milkweed Editions, an independent nonprofit publisher, gratefully acknowledges sustaining support from the Lindquist & Vennum Foundation; the McKnight Foundation; the National Endowment for the Arts; the Target Foundation; and other generous contributions from foundations, corporations, and individuals. Also, this activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund, and a grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation Minnesota. For a full listing of Milkweed Editions supporters, please visit www.milkweed.org.

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Jones, Parneshia.

      [Poems. Selections]

      Vessel / Parneshia Jones. -- First edition.

      pages cm

      ISBN 978-1-57131-467-3 (alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-1-57131-914-2 (ebook)

      I. Title.

      PS3610.O62755V48 2015

      811'.6--dc23

      2014038729

      Milkweed Editions is committed to ecological stewardship. We strive to align our book production practices with this principle, and to reduce the impact of our operations in the environment. We are a member of the Green Press Initiative, a nonprofit coalition of publishers, manufacturers, and authors working to protect the world’s endangered forests and conserve natural resources. Vessel was printed on acid-free 100% postconsumer-waste paper by Friesens Corporation.

       For Mary Ella Starling (1933-2011) and Howard Antoinne Jones Jr. (1973-2008), love doesn’t even begin to cover it.

      VESSEL

        Title Page

        Copyright

        Dedication

        Girl

      1  I.

      1  Definition

      2  Naiad

      3  “Fair Trade”

      4  Legacy

      5  Dream Catcher

      6  O.W. Starling

      7  For the Basement Parties at the YMCA

      8  Bra Shopping

      1  II.

      1  Congregation

      2  French Kiss

      3  Milk and Honey: Marvin Gaye

      4  Two Lovers and a Pot of Collard Greens

      5  Hearing Sylvia Plath’s Voice, Circa 1962

      6  Haikus to Younger Self: A Suite

      1  III.

      1  Haiku for Bernice, Louisiana

      2  The Understudy

      3  Blink

      4  Bitter Smell of Ashes

      5  Georgia on My Mind

      6  House of Cards

      7  Legend of the Buffalo Poets

      8  Litany: Chicago Summers

      1  IV.

      1  Still Memory

      2  Habit: Salt

      3  Chicago Style Italian Beef

      4  Instinct

      5  Ode to Bourbon: A Writer’s Distillery

      6  Torching the Stage: Mitchell L.H. Douglas and Donny Hathaway Meet

      7  Tender

      1  V.

      1  Auto-Correcting History

      2  Shutter

      3  Resurrection under the Moon

      4  Diva Suite Black Venus: Josephine Baker

      5  Nannarella: Anna Magnani

      6  The Mother

      7  Lesson Plan

        Notes

        Acknowledgments

        About the Author

      VESSEL

GIRL

      Cocoa butter knees dancing

      between two brotherly roads,

      daydreaming, pretend out loud

      Girl.

      Singing off-key, flowing