South Carolina Morning

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Her red dress & hat 
 tease the sky’s level-
headed blue. Outside

a country depot,
 she could be a harlot 
or saint on Sunday

morning. We know 
 Hopper could slant 
light till it falls

on our faces. She waits 
 for a tall blues singer 
whose twelve-string is

hours out of hock,
 for a pullman porter 
with a pigskin wallet

bulging with greenbacks, 
 who stepped out of Porgy
at intermission. This is

paradise made of pigment 
 & tissue, where apples 
ripen into rage & lust.

In a quick glance, 
 beyond skincolor,
she’s his muse, his wife—

the same curves
 to her stance, the same 
breasts beneath summer cloth.

© Yusef Komunyakaa