Chapin City Blues

At school
In Ohio
I swear to Gawd
There was always somebody
Telling me that the only person
In their whole house
Who listened and understood them
Despite the money and the lessons
Was the housekeeper
And I knew it was true
But what was I supposed to say

Kate Rushin is a Black lesbian poet. Her works have been published in various anthologies and journals such as Feminist Theory Reader: Local and Global Perspectives and Callaloo. In 2022, she was appointed the Poet in Residence at Connecticut College. Her poem, “The Black Back-Ups,” can be found in The Black Back-Ups: Poetry or The Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color.