Headstones on the Potomac Shore The Potomac coughs up headstonesfrom the Columbian Harmony Cemetery. Heavy slabs of memories choke on a storythat won’t stop repeating its violent conflicts. The bodies of 37,000 black residents uprootedreburied – names replaced with the silence of sold markers. For 60 years Keckley, Fleetwood, Shadd and moresix feet under footsteps… Continue reading Poem 52 – Headstones on the Potomac Shore
Category: On Writing
Poem 51 – Movement
“Social movement doesn’t come all at once, just as it doesn’t come out of nowhere. There are moments when it captures the news, like the National Guard in Little Rock, and then we don’t hear anything about it nationally for a year, two years, three years, four years, five years – and then wham!” pg.… Continue reading Poem 51 – Movement
Poem 50 – Markers
Markers “…we know where the markers arefor where we buried the children…”From Day 46, 100 Days by Juliane Okot Bitek grief knows how to growreflects the truth slowly – howchild souls resurrect Today I went to Gertrude's Writing Room and there was no internet. Can you imagine? It immediately became a sacred space...even more, if… Continue reading Poem 50 – Markers
VANESSA SHIELDS 