Gold Chain

Black men who wear gold chains around their necks

know it’s not light that brings a chain to glimmer,

but dark skin beneath the sun

inspiring everything around these bodies

to gleam and hold light with us

it is the dawn who knows to rise with us

offering light and gold in which we dress our bodies

and embellish our necks,

our own pieces of sun,

inspired to glint and glimmer

as we’ve been inspired to glimmer

and shine like the day shining like us

reflecting on boyhoods spent beneath the sun

playing outside, veiled in its gold

sun ropes around our necks,

chains to protect our bodies,

golden yarn clothes our bodies

it courses with a river’s glimmer falling from our necks

into eyes that see us, naming us gold,

here beneath the sun.

golden sons beneath the sun

wearing light on our bodies

making ourselves gold

inspiring all to glimmer,

but they only wish to see us

to admire the gold around our necks,

the gold that declares our necks

loved or sovereign or belonging to the sun

worn by us

its magnificence veils all our bodies

in unanimous glimmer,

we are Black men in gold

wearing chains around our necks to protect our bodies

making it possible for the sun to find us in its glimmer

that keeps us here beneath its gold