
Rebecca Gayle Howell (ed.)
et al.
Published online:
18 May 2023
Published in print:
07 March 2023
Online ISBN:
9780813197418
Print ISBN:
9780813182438
Contents
Chapter
Burden Hill Apothecary & Babalú-Ayé Prepare Stinging Nettle Tea
Get access
Pages
12–13
-
Published:March 2023
Cite
Wilson, L. Lamar, 'Burden Hill Apothecary & Babalú-Ayé Prepare Stinging Nettle Tea', in Rebecca Gayle Howell, Ashley M. Jones, and Emily J. Jalloul (eds), What Things Cost: an anthology for the people (Lexington, KY , 2023; online edn, Kentucky Scholarship Online, 18 May 2023), https://doi.org/10.5810/kentucky/9780813182438.003.0006, accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
Extract
We don’t die. We fruitful & multiply likeThe Good Master say. Fields of okra, snap peas,Collards, cabbage spring out the ground, so manyBullets sagging on the vine, you can hear ’em hollaPull me. Cut me. Watch me grin. We oblige. So muchGreen ’tween our waists & toes, we can’t seeThe clay caked in the spurs cutting our heelsFor the pines that shade us. We trampThem cones they shed that seed the soilThat keeps us alive, our loins spilling,More mouths begging to be filledEvery day. Dem peckerwoods would turnEvery limb into a grave if our Maker let ’em.You talk ’bout how they strung up Claude,But you done forgot that high yella sot Cellos.Smashed his skull twain under that magnoliaOver yonder, where he seasoned these here rootsI’ll boil to break that fever you so ’fraidWon’t loose you, but every season, more squash,Kale, peanuts, melon split open, so sweet, so sweet,Every body beg to sink they teeth in deep. LikeThem weeds we yank from this here earth,We won’t die. We your worst nightmare.Shoot one of us down, & our chirren’s chirren’sSeeds’ll take root & shoot up right here likeOur pappy’s pappy’s done. Mustards, limas,Sweet potatoes, whites, too. Our roots too deep.You can’t kill us all. Think of all that caneYou so keen to suck on. Drag that stalkToo long, that juice’ll turn bitter as the laughterIn your throat & choke. Don’t let them fool youInto cuttin’ your tongues out your ownMouths. These here is the best of times, whereThe sun don’t stop shinin’ till you can smellThe moonshine midnight riders crawlin’Out they bed to climb in yours & rub’gainst you till you sang like locustsIn heat, a low hum, a steady moan, till theyKingdom come & morning light appear.
You do not currently have access to this chapter.
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMetrics
View Metrics
Metrics
Total Views
3
3
Pageviews
0
PDF Downloads
Since 1/1/2024
Month: | Total Views: |
---|---|
January 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 2 |
Citations
Altmetrics
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.