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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
favorites:
- is love
- the new house
- our grandmothers
- ailey, baldwin, floyd, killens, and mayfield
- is love
- the new house
- our grandmothers
- ailey, baldwin, floyd, killens, and mayfield
I want to keep coming back to this book, it was so beautiful.
Will forever be reading and loving every one of Maya’s words
Incredibly evocative words.
¨´Man Bigot´
The man who is a bigot
is the worst thing God has got
Except his match, his woman
who really is Ms. Bigot.¨ p. 6
¨´Man Bigot´
The man who is a bigot
is the worst thing God has got
Except his match, his woman
who really is Ms. Bigot.¨ p. 6
Maya speaks directly on all matters concerning her. Her unique voice shines through.
Big ships shudder /
down to the sea /
because of me
I’ve sailed upon the seven seas and /
stopped in every land, /
I’ve seen the wonders of the world, /
not yet one common man
My thoughts are particular: /
of your light lips and hungry /
hands
This girl, neither feather nor /
fan, drifted and tossed. //
Oh, but then I had power. /
Power.
Yes, my drums are beating nightly /
and the rhythms never change. //
Equality, and I will be free. /
Equality, and I will be free.
Coleridge Jackson
Why Are They Happy People
glistening like /
diamonds strewn/
upon a black girl's belly
Tremors of your network /
cause kings to disappear.
Your bombs can change the seasons, /
obliterate the spring.
You dwell in whitened castles
with deep and poisoned moats
and cannot hear the curses
which fill your children's throats
Glory falls around us
We grow despite the /
horror that we feed /
upon our own /
tomorrow. /
We grow.
the ransack of hunters
I shall not, I shall not be moved.
When you learn, teach.
When you get, give.
Sheba and Sojourner,
Harriet and Zora,
Mary Bethune and Angela,
Annie to Zenobia
lay aside your fears that I will be undone, //
for I shall not be moved.
I thought I’ve never made a sweet man /
A kind man /
A true man /
One who in darkness you can feel secure man
Even minimal people /
can’t survive on minimal wage
I said you had the motion /
of the ocean in your walk, /
and when you solve my riddles /
you don’t even have to talk.
down to the sea /
because of me
I’ve sailed upon the seven seas and /
stopped in every land, /
I’ve seen the wonders of the world, /
not yet one common man
My thoughts are particular: /
of your light lips and hungry /
hands
This girl, neither feather nor /
fan, drifted and tossed. //
Oh, but then I had power. /
Power.
Yes, my drums are beating nightly /
and the rhythms never change. //
Equality, and I will be free. /
Equality, and I will be free.
Coleridge Jackson
Why Are They Happy People
glistening like /
diamonds strewn/
upon a black girl's belly
Tremors of your network /
cause kings to disappear.
Your bombs can change the seasons, /
obliterate the spring.
You dwell in whitened castles
with deep and poisoned moats
and cannot hear the curses
which fill your children's throats
Glory falls around us
We grow despite the /
horror that we feed /
upon our own /
tomorrow. /
We grow.
the ransack of hunters
I shall not, I shall not be moved.
When you learn, teach.
When you get, give.
Sheba and Sojourner,
Harriet and Zora,
Mary Bethune and Angela,
Annie to Zenobia
lay aside your fears that I will be undone, //
for I shall not be moved.
I thought I’ve never made a sweet man /
A kind man /
A true man /
One who in darkness you can feel secure man
Even minimal people /
can’t survive on minimal wage
I said you had the motion /
of the ocean in your walk, /
and when you solve my riddles /
you don’t even have to talk.
It's been awhile since I cried over particular words, strewn together with such intricate care. What a beautiful collection, from a poet with an endless legacy, whom I haven't reconnected with for years. Glad I picked this volume up.
She said, But my description cannot fit your tongue, for I have a certain way of being in this world and I shall not, shall not be moved.
She said, But my description cannot fit your tongue, for I have a certain way of being in this world and I shall not, shall not be moved.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Slavery
fast-paced