Jeannette
Beebout
“Shirt” Imitation
Different kinds of shirts. Blouses, tops,
tanks, camis, kinits, tees, button-downs,
the list continues. Blouses remind me of
flowers in a garden, pretty, simple, delicate.
Tanks used to be called “wife beaters,” which
is a horrible name. Is the name from the
criminals who bore the shirt? With each
strike of the hand, beating each member of
the family, like they’d done some criminal
act. The teenagers who wore those white, cotton,
ribbed tanks running all over the hood, with pits
on chains and scars all over. No one cares about
who slaved to make these clothes. The only
information anyone really pays attention to is
the fact that packs of six can be found at the local
Walmart on 9th Street. Some of those hooligans
know something about the cotton ginny or gin…
Or was it real gin that they knew about? Yeah, that’s
what it was. These kids know more about what
bottle they were gonna get than history or mathematics.
Forget math! We’re gonna get faded. They’ll
wear those beaters on Friday night, too.
Doesn’t matter what the plan is, or who they will
see. Those black boys who’s skin fades so deeply into
the night sky, are brought into plain sight with the
placement of that white beater. His descendant is
a black lady from Alabama. What does she wear on
those hot, Bama Friday nights? A shirt.
“Shirt” Imitation
Different kinds of shirts. Blouses, tops,
tanks, camis, kinits, tees, button-downs,
the list continues. Blouses remind me of
flowers in a garden, pretty, simple, delicate.
Tanks used to be called “wife beaters,” which
is a horrible name. Is the name from the
criminals who bore the shirt? With each
strike of the hand, beating each member of
the family, like they’d done some criminal
act. The teenagers who wore those white, cotton,
ribbed tanks running all over the hood, with pits
on chains and scars all over. No one cares about
who slaved to make these clothes. The only
information anyone really pays attention to is
the fact that packs of six can be found at the local
Walmart on 9th Street. Some of those hooligans
know something about the cotton ginny or gin…
Or was it real gin that they knew about? Yeah, that’s
what it was. These kids know more about what
bottle they were gonna get than history or mathematics.
Forget math! We’re gonna get faded. They’ll
wear those beaters on Friday night, too.
Doesn’t matter what the plan is, or who they will
see. Those black boys who’s skin fades so deeply into
the night sky, are brought into plain sight with the
placement of that white beater. His descendant is
a black lady from Alabama. What does she wear on
those hot, Bama Friday nights? A shirt.
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