Monica A. Hand’s “dear Nina”:

I want vengeance
an eye for an eye
a dish served cold
two wrongs
a tale of two cities
contrapasso
ill will
a settling

not with a grain of salt
with a heavy hand

a slow burn
boiling point
a huff and a puff
blow the mother-fucking house down

no cage forestalls
no age forgets
no gene forgives
I cane those who give me
this fury

a hundred lashes
acrimony and dander
needle and tizzy
umbrage
ruckus

(From me and Nina. Copyright © 2012 by Monica C.Hand. Used by kind permission of Alice James Books. Video: Nina Simone sings “Ain’t Got No/I Got Life”:)