Types of Burns: RuPaul is Fracking by Kyle Carrero Lopez
Black Lives Matter. We must all do what we can, one individual choice at a time, to dismantle white supremacy—in our selves, our relationships, our communities, and our institutions. Frontier stands in unrelenting support of the protestors demanding change—we send you every prayer, every bit of energy we have. Stay safe and stay healthy and stay bold.
Types of Burns is a space for Black voices who have something to say about this moment. This may be lyric essay, poetry, photography, etc. Submit your work here. We sincerely thank Kyle and every Black artist who has helped make Frontier what it is today. Today, we are publishing an urgent poem by Kyle Carrero Lopez.
RuPaul is Fracking
and statues are falling,
sapped from their stands
by furied hands to rope,
and o, how they tug like fishers
with families to feed, each pull
nearer full-blooded extraction,
each pull a deep uproot
down a dig to sweet release, the same rush
drillers might hit each time cracked
earth spurts lustrous blacks
on Ru’s ranch, the queen himself slippered,
robed, and seated at home nearby, a live,
marble homage to a once-hero’s death,
smiling, perhaps unclear that he, too, will fall,
and that all who hoist coin over lives
shall be someday recalled as they lived
Kyle Carrero Lopez
Kyle Carrero Lopez is the author of MUSCLE MEMORY, the chapbook winner of the 2020 [PANK] Books Contest. His recent and upcoming publications include The Offing, Prolit, Best New Poets 2021, and Poem-a-Day. Find him at kylecarrerolopez.com.
