The Blanket

I like being beneath you–
not to say that I like being under
or weak or a slave.
I like being beneath you–
that is to say I like your warmth
or your softness
or the cover that you provide
when another is beneath me
which is also to say that black men
started slavery first in Egypt.
I try to find an opening in the mind of a woman
the way my cat tries to find an opening
to cuddle beside me beneath you
but there is only one opening to her mind
and it is yet to be found
I like being beneath you–
especially when you’re a noun;
anything that covers:
like money, or knowledge
or a friend that will never leave.

Younglan Talyoung