Runner Up: 2024 Philadelphia Stories Poetry Contest
Make Her Dance
After Juicy J
When the ones fall from the sky
we confuse the source of the Rain.
The ass shaking caused a deluge.
As it should be yet the hand is considered
the source. The clouds aren’t even the
source. White science pales in any comparison
forced by Black alchemy. The gold, the
shine, the minerals in deep conversation
but we only see paper. Shiny teeth snag on
the lights, a Diamond in the rough was carbon
first. life Fossilized then consolidated. Some LLC
is paid homage and the rain dancers are
forced to tip out. House money isn’t real. Plantation money
is. The club separates the haves and have nots. Miss recognition
got a smart mouth. All hail the fat ass, the rain bringer,
clapping and winning the battle of the bandz.
Vincente Perez is a poet and scholar working at the intersection of Poetry, Hip-Hop, and digital culture. He is a PhD Candidate in the Performance Studies program and a Poetry and the Senses Fellow at UC Berkeley (2021). His debut poetry chapbook, “Other Stories to Tell Ourselves” is available now (Newfound 2023). Their poems have appeared in Obsidian, Poet Lore, (De)Cypher, Honey Literary, Poetry.onl, and more. www.vincenteperez.com