The instructor said, Go home and write a page tonight. And let that page come out of you— Then, it will be true. I wonder if it’s that simple? I am twenty-two, colored, born in Winston-Salem. I went to school there, then Durham, then here to this college on the hill above Harlem. I am […]
learn moreXhosa English Nkosi, sikelel’ iAfrikaMalupakam’ upondo lwayo;Yiva imitandazo yetu Chorus Yihla Moya, yihla MoyaYihla Moya Oyingcwele Sikelela iNkosi zetu;Zimkumbule umDali wazo;Zimoyike zezimhlouele,Azisikelele. Sikelel’ amadol’ esizwe,Sikelela kwa nomliselaUlitwal’ ilizwe ngomonde,Uwusikilele. Sikelel’ amakosikazi;Nawo onk’amanenekazi;Pakamisa wonk’umtinjanaUwusikilele. Sikelela abafundisiBemvaba zonke zelilizwe;Ubatwese ngoMoya WakoUbasikelele. Sikelel’ ulimo nemfuyo;Gzota zonk’indlala nezifo;Zalisa ilizwe nempiloUlisikelele. Sikelel’ amalinga etuAwomanyana nokuzaka,Awemfundo nemvisiswanoUwasikele Nkosi Sikelel, Afrika;Cima bonk’ […]
learn moreSouthern trees bearing a strange fruitBlood on the leaves and blood at the rootBlack bodies swinging in the Southern breezeStrange fruit hanging from the poplar trees Pastoral scene of the gallant SouthThe bulging eyes and the twisted mouthScent of magnolia sweet and freshThen the sudden smell of burning flesh. Here is a fruit for the […]
learn moreMagdalene is tremblingLike a washing on a lineTrembling and gleamingNever before was a man so kindNever so redeeming Enter the multitudesIn Exxon blueIn radiation roseEcstasyNow you tell meWho you gonna get to do the dirty workWhen all the slaves are free?(Who’re you gonna get) I am up a sycamoreLooking through the leavesA sinner of some […]
learn moreI Life goes by moving, Up and down a chain of moods Wanting what’s nothing. II My soul is the wind Dashing down fields of Autumn: O, too swift to sing. III I shall spend my moods Like a rose discards leaves And die without moods. IV My ears burn for speech And you lie […]
learn moreWhen day comes we ask ourselves,where can we find light in this never-ending shade?The loss we carry,a sea we must wade.We’ve braved the belly of the beast,We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace,and the norms and notionsof what just isisn’t always just-ice.And yet the dawn is oursbefore we knew it. Somehow we do it.Somehow we’ve […]
learn moreWhat was his crime? / He only killed his wife. But a divorce I say. / Not final, they say; Her things were his / including her life.” Convicted not of murder / but of “womanslaughter” because “Men cannot kill their wives. / They passion them to death.” For this murder in Texas, he served […]
learn moreSwing low, sweet chariotComing for to carry me homeSwing low, sweet chariotComing for to carry he home I looked over Jordan and what did I seeComing for to carry he homeA band of angels coming after meComing for to carry me home Swing low, sweet chariotComing for to carry me homeSwing low, sweet chariotComing for […]
learn moreNiggers are scared of revolution But niggers shouldn’t be scared of revolution Because revolution is nothing but change And all niggers do is change Niggers come in from work and change into pimping clothes and hit the streets to make some quick change Niggers change their hair from black to red to blond and hope […]
learn moreThe old woman across the way is whipping the boy again and shouting to the neighborhood her goodness and his wrongs. Wildly he crashes through elephant ears, pleads in dusty zinnias, while she in spite of crippling fat pursues and corners him. She strikes and strikes the shrilly circling boy till the stick breaks in […]
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