Melvin Dixon | Heartbeats
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In this week's episode of the Get Lit Minute, your weekly poetry podcast, we focus on the life and work of scholar, novelist, and poet, Melvin Dixon. Influenced by James Baldwin, Dixon wrote extensively about the complexities of being a gay black man. Speaking on this topic at a speech to the Third National Lesbian and Gay Writers Conference, Dixon said, \\u201cAs white gays deny multiculturalism among gays, so too do black communities deny multisexualism among their members. Against this double cremation, we must leave the legacy of our writing and our perspectives on gay and straight experiences.\\u201d
"Heartbeats"
Work out. Ten laps.
Chin ups. Look good.
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Steam room. Dress warm.
Call home. Fresh air.
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Eat right. Rest well.
Sweetheart. Safe sex.
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Sore throat. Long flu.
Hard nodes. Beware.
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Test blood. Count cells.
Reds thin. Whites low.
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Dress warm. Eat well.
Short breath. Fatigue.
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Night sweats. Dry cough.
Loose stools. Weight loss.
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Get mad. Fight back.
Call home. Rest well.
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Don\\u2019t cry. Take charge.
No sex. Eat right.
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Call home. Talk slow.
Chin up. No air.
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Arms wide. Nodes hard.
Cough dry. Hold on.
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Mouth wide. Drink this.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
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No air. Breathe in.
Breathe in. No air.
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Black out. White rooms.
Head hot. Feet cold.
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No work. Eat right.
CAT scan. Chin up.
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Breathe in. Breathe out.
No air. No air.
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Thin blood. Sore lungs.
Mouth dry. Mind gone.
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Six months? Three weeks?
Can\\u2019t eat. No air.
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Today? Tonight?
It waits. For me.
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Sweet heart. Don\\u2019t stop.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
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