8-17, how i know assata

i imagine Assata
sitting on her porch
in cuba – Cuba
watching vegetables grow

i imagine her now
that liberated woman
that symbol of our freedom
her days so deep; slow

i picture her now
ageless, so young
not far from a gun
and she knows how to use it

i picture her love
glowing beyond her
bright, our ephemera
saying,
but you can’t abuse me.

(thanks to dream for putting this to my mind tonight)