The Ghosts of Mississippi, The Gods of Africa

“MEET ME IN THE BOTTOM
WHERE THE SOUTHERN CROSS THE DOG.*
WHERE THE GHOSTS OF MISSISSIPPI
MEET THE GODS OF AFRICA.”



"I met a waitress in a coffee shop
She poured coffee in my cup.
Every time she dropped her eyes
I knelt to pick them up.
She had rings on all her fingers
and a tattoo of a train.
I could hear the diesels moanin'
when she filled up my cup again."

*See W.C. Handy Autobiography, or Land Where Blues Began, pg 166.