As a kid, I got a kick out of Nanny reprimanding Papa whenever he got too mischievous. He'd do or say something out of line and she'd scold him and reel him back in. It wasn't until recently that I discovered that a lot of those times were just an act. Mom pulled back the curtains and revealed that Nanny would find reasons to scold him because she noticed how amused my brother and I would get every time he got in trouble with her. Although it was at his expense, Papa was a good sport about it. I imagine he played along for our sake.

It was like having a free, front row seat to a two-man improv comedy show. Papa would play the funny man, grappling with flimsy excuses to justify his behavior. Nanny would play the straight man or rather, woman, combating him with sound reasoning and ultimately putting him in his place. Together, they worked as a team in order to make my brother and I laugh.

This was just one of the many ways they made us happy.

Four fucking walls

And a ceiling

A roadmap

And one shoe

A couple of friends across town

With four fucking walls

And a ceiling

A pack of wet matches

And no cigarettes

A city that has the distinct feel

Of four fucking walls

And a ceiling

For what seems

Like forever

For now

David Burdett

1996

Boom

Here we go

Swinging in

Like Tarzan

Roaring loud

Like King Kong

See, hear

Now listen here

Young-blood

We've come

In search of

Alkebulan.

What?

You tellin' us

You're not sure

Where is this place?

You ask.

Now listen here, son.

Long live the Sahara sun!

One that's been around...

For many a-men,

'nd women, too.

Alkebulan:

Afrika.

A place of ancient history

One datin' back to B.C.

See, hear

Now listen here

Young-blood

Ya better not forget

The name: Alkebulan!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwaYHsPwb7Y.

28.06.2023.

#ALKEBULAN. (c)

They call you their villain, you're convinced you're the hero.

Hero.

You see what they need,

You beg for their love.

You planted the seed,

You sent out the dove.

Villain.

You begged and fell alone,

Now you bring them to their knees.

Finally taking what you're owed.

Won't listen to their pleas.

Hero.

You don't need anything.

You fall to help them up.

Now you're down on your knees

So they'll see you're not corrupt.

Villain.

Can't listen to yourself.

Have to be the better one.

Put your own life on the shelf.

Close your eyes until it's done.

Can't stop. Can't stop. Can't stop.

Now they call you their hero, you're still your own villain.

The tattoo

On his neck read

"Remember me..."

I made a point

To remind myself

That if he ever did

Anything worth being

Remembered for

I would

David Burdett

6/28/2023

My parents divorced when I was five, and as an only child, my childhood was almost always entire days with just my mom and me. These days included movies followed by lunch or ice-cream at Rompelmeyer; birthday dinners at Benihanas or Il Boschetto; trips to Disney World, Bermuda, Trinidad, Europe, Canada; Broadway plays; ballet at Lincoln Center or City Center; rainy days, snow days or Saturdays of Monopoly, 221B Baker Street, chess, 500 rummy; Sunday church then Sunday afternoon tv movies... It was a very full childhood for which I am forever grateful. Despite being the only child of a single parent in a neighborhood where that was distinctly frowned upon, I was beyond fortunate.

I have a single memory of one whole day spent with my dad. I was fourteen. I spent the night at his apartment and we were up at 4 am to catch a boat. We had a cooler full of Colt 45 for him. I had a ham sandwich and a ginger ale in my backpack. Near the dock we bought some minnows for bait then boarded a fishing boat. We were on the water for hours. My dad made friends immediately and introduced me around with more than a little pride. This is my baby girl, Danny. Watch out for her. He fished a little, drank a lot, and spent some time playing cards below deck. I learned to put the hook through the eye of the minnow and almost won the pot by catching the biggest fish. It ended up being the second biggest. I remember how happy he was, bragging about the fish his baby girl caught. Or maybe he was just happy I was there doing something he loved with him. It was a good day. I wish we'd managed more of them before memories and pictures were all I had left of him.

Some girl

With green eyes

Who was undoubtedly

Beautiful years ago

About an hour ago

Accused me of being a Fed

And pulled a machete on me

Damn.

I really need to up brush up

On my situational awareness skills

Stupid bitch

David Burdett

6/28/2023

We lived in a house

Constructed of bricks

Of Velveeta and confusion

Surrounded by liquor stores

And bombed out abortion clinics

My father would visit us

Every other weekend

We would drive around for hours

Shooting homeless people

I've got a necklace

Made from human ears to prove it

My mother told me

That the first words

I ever spoke were

"Kill me"

I was 10 years old

And they did

David Burdett

6/28/2023

My intention

Was to lock myself

In that motel bathroom

Curl up in the tub

And open my mind

With a bag of mushrooms

And a box cutter

Thank God you were there

And needed to take a shit

David Burdett

6/28/2023