i kissed sonny liston on his black neck

Sonny Liston used to run along the levees steam rising off
his wide wide back he reminded me of old father a wide
backed football hero steam often rising from his talltales

now both of their tombstones say: A MAN Sonny+Lee
pedigree of a certain kind of suffering +a certain kind
of rising up outta the swamp chompchomp

hey living up here with the dead
ain’t so bad after all
says Mr. Liston
now is it Lee?
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.. i could smell Sonny Liston.. he was so mean looking
honey dripping down his chin like tears.. so i kissed
Sonny Liston on his black neck ..
(Frank Stanford The Light The Dead See 1977)
Fall 2025 ..gator’s got yer granny daddy..🐊🐊

