Resurrection

Or how my great-great-grandmother reinvented herself

Rosie Lee Bullard (1906-2002) first row, third from left

Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church, Chicago, IL

Baptist Training Union (BTU)

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Legend has it Ms. Bullard shot a man

dead back in 1934 for trying

to rape her. Say she watched

Opelika’s red clay take a swig

of his blood

the way that nigga said he was gone

sop her up with a biscuit. Cost her

sixty days time

because she didn’t have the $44.30.

Left lil Mary, Black Mary,

with cousin Easter

on Thanksgiving, Christmas,

& New Year’s too.

But she’ll survive Birmingham

while Ms. Bullard becomes Rosie,

keeping Mattie in that county jail

& in grandpa Anderson Bullard’s arms.

After all, she was Rosie in that boarding house

where the mistress was called Mattie

& Rosa in Ms. Richardson’s home.

Then Ms. Rosa Lee Bullard became

Mrs. Davis

& Mrs. Murph

& Mrs. Hines

& Mrs. Vance

somewhere in-between the colored section

of that L&N Railroad ride to Chicago

or was it Southern Railway?

Does it matter? I’m here now.

Details be damned.

In June of ‘62 Jesus was at Mt. Sinai

so Mrs. Bullard-Vance joined the Beautifying Club

& the Mission

& Faith Impact

& the Ora Cumming Bible class.

What pistol? What charge? Nothing

but the blood cause Jesus paid it all, baby.

Ann Home’s servant? That was in Coosa.

I’m a business woman now. Got a thrift shop

& two restaurants. Ain’t nothing below

the mason-dixon got to follow me above.

Ain’t nothing resurrected here but me

& Jesus.