By: Emily Shwake

Al Young was born in Mississippi in 1939, and was influenced by jazz and blues of his home state so much so that he often reads his writing aloud to musical accompaniment. The award-winning author and poet eventually moved west, and in 2005, was named poet laureate of California.

But it was over two decades earlier, in 1982, that Young wrote a lyrical poem about his Aunt “O.” His poem is admiring and affectionate. His aunt’s voice is nearly audible from his words, and one can imagine her strength and fairy tale majesty in his awe of her.

"Aunt"
By Al Young

She talks too loud, her face
a blur of wrinkles & sunshine
where her hard hair shivers
from laughter like a pine tree
stiff with oil & hotcombing
 
O & her anger realer than gasoline
slung into fire or lighted mohair
She’s a clothes lover from way back
but her body’s too big to be chic
or on cue so she wear what she want
People just gotta stand back &
take it like they do Easter Sunday when
the rainbow she travels is dry-cleaned
 
She laughs more than ever in spring
stomping the downtowns, Saturday past
work, looking into JC Penney’s checking
out Sears & bragging about how when she
feel like it she gon lose weight &
give up smoking one of these sorry days
 
Her eyes are diamonds of pure dark space
& the air flying out of them as you look
close is only the essence of living
to tell, a full-length woman, an aunt
brown & red with stalking the years

We dedicate yet another poem to you, Aunties. Happy Auntie’s Day, July 26, 2015.


Photo: Al Young
Published: July 20, 2015