“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
Tag: Black History Month
Poem 49 – The Poet for Phillis Wheatley Peters
The PoetFor Phillis Wheatley Peters age sevenseized in Senegalsentenced to slaveryone tender body ina shipment of shame under a robe of dirty rugslender child nearly nakedsuffering the vived changein climate and freedom –shivers the ship captain in hasteher frailty no reason tostutter sells her tothe Bostonian Wheatly whites before dusting but after dishes –reading and… Continue reading Poem 49 – The Poet for Phillis Wheatley Peters
Poem 47 – the intimacy of skin
the intimacy of skin “…how come, how comeI anticipate nothing as intimate as history would I have had a different lifefailing this embrace with broken things…”From ‘thirsty’ by Dionne Brand nothing is more intimate than skin the bag of itmighty body buttress claspingthe broken & betrayedcupping loss in a wrinkled elbowstanding at attention on the… Continue reading Poem 47 – the intimacy of skin
VANESSA SHIELDS 