Brittany Rogers is a Black queer poet, visual artist, and educator. She is the author of Good Dress (Tin House, 2024), which was nominated for a 2025 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work–Poetry. She is the editor-in-chief of Muzzle Magazine and lives in Detroit. AFTER THE SERVICE
Brittany Rogers
Brittany Rogers
Again. Again.
Her body, pulled clean
of breath. Resting
in the polished basket
I promised not to climb in—
I’ll start over.
We dressed her
in a white nurse’s uniform,
a shiny coat of clear gloss.
If she were really here,
we would have giggled
behind our hands
pressed to our face like church fans.
What is this stuff you got on my lips?
she might have asked.
Skirt and lip gloss aside,
she looked just like herself.
Unadorned, and still the prettiest
jewel in the sanctuary.
I can only stand to look
at her face
for so long. I was supposed
to be writing about beauty.
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DRESSING THE BODY
Brittany Rogers
We—Detroit girls, Daughters of Motown—
knew before we saw the bronze casket
that Aretha would be dressed down;
some—Non-believers, Outsiders—
called it frivolous: two-day
viewing; eight-hour long service;
four outfit changes, each dress
more elaborate than the last.
Beautiful, beautiful gowns—accessorized
from jewels to pointed heels. I half-
expect her to break out a side eye
belt out a hymn to remind us
who the Queen is. There is,
of course, no such performance,
though we all huddle like crows,
waiting to see if she still looks
like herself. There is a protocol to this,
a right way to send
someone back to the lap of God.
Wearing their Sunday best.
So fancy they can be
mistaken for a bride.