Church II by Paul Luikart
How to Trash Talk by Olatunde Osinaike
it is best i start by explaining
the triangle offense say you run
a fast break with bulls on the wing you know the type
alimony from clapping souls & mistaken
ovation for ovaries you think you own then point
guard vintage toxic & steal tiptoe
from the baseline
you can rock your own cradle now hear your mother
spin a kindled rhapsody in attendance
bracing brisk like knees on ice numb
and you tepid, fuming only from field goal
percentage dropping, you can’t miss rather you don’t
when you turned on the rim an aphrodisiac
& since you never fade or crash or pivot say you take charge
like a sixth foul, box out out-of-bounds pass it down
& franchise the dribble honed
in the bunker scouted underneath your tongue
& play better
imagine the air then atmospheric glide
polishing the hardwood all the adamant dimes
traveling aching a vertical assist
& crossover classics agape in transition
etching its hang time.
Olatunde Osinaike is an Nigerian-American poet, originally from the West Side of Chicago. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in publications such as Yes, Poetry, Dulcet Quarterly, WusGood Magazine, and elsewhere. He graduated from Vanderbilt University and is currently based in Nashville, working on publishing his first chapbook.
Paul Luikart is an artist and writer living in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In addition to writing and drawing, he directs a shelter for homeless families.
