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In January, I had a poem, “Suburban Lies,” published in Pen in Hand, the literary journal of Maryland Writers’ Association. It is my first published poem.
I’m new to reading poetry, so bear with me. I’ve started attending open mics to get more practice, though, as I’ve continued writing.
After watching the video, if any of the references are unfamiliar to you, scroll to below the video for links to resources so you can learn more about some excerpts.
I sincerely hope I give you something to think about.
RESOURCES
the Enslaved Mothers
that those Founding Fathers
had found themselves entitled to take.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h3436.html
Till’s nightmare
and the gasoline that my tears
can pour on a fire.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-death-of-emmett-till
it had been unlawful for Lovings to love.
https://www.biography.com/news/richard-mildred-loving-story
–Or how many states wouldn’t change their laws
when they no longer could stop future Lovings
from loving.
http://www.cnn.com/US/9903/12/interracial.marriage/
had run through Tulsa, Oklahoma–
but not that blood and ash had run through there first.
https://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/tulsa-race-massacre
a Green book was the only book that kept some folks from Resting in Peace.
https://www.history.com/news/the-green-book-the-black-travelers-guide-to-jim-crow-america
If you’d asked me what a Sundown Town was…
No one told me about the sworn duty
that some men had
to hang a man who was Dark
after dark.
And finally, I’d like to recommend watching this video of Elayne Bond Hyman performing her narrative, “Catoctin Slave Speak.” Elayne is a spoken word poet who is a member of the Frederick Chapter of Maryland Writers’ Association. I feel privileged to hear her voice, and it is a haunting experience when her voice is a conduit for the voices of those who couldn’t tell their stories. Amazon blurb below:
“Catoctin SlaveSpeak is a collection of narrative poems in the voices of enslaved Africans, as well as their enslaved descendants, who were imported to work at the Catoctin Iron Furnace in Thurmont, Maryland. They are based on available archaeological and forensic anthropological evidence resulting from studies conducted on behalf of the Catoctin Furnace Historical Society. They also draw on general knowledge of the peculiar institution of slavery in the United States, giving voice to a heretofore voiceless, often ignored and uncredited segment of Maryland’s historic population. This poetic, artistic, and emotional piece can foster a changed conversation about those upon whose backs the foundation of the State of Maryland rests.”
I appreciate your poem “Suburban Lies”. Stay WOKE!