What is there left to say? That is the question we must ask ourselves this final week of BlaPoWriMo. Does black poetry/literature still exist today, and if it does, for what purpose? Well, this poem, originally published February 15, 2016, explains why we still need black poetry…
Together We . . .
Together we hood our faces,
stuff our pockets with
Skittles and Arizona tea.
Together we lose the air
to our lungs from cigarette
smoke, forearms curled
around our throats.
Together we put our hands up,
surrender to tear gas
and rubber bullets
on evening news.
Together we are body slammed
in bathing suits, flipped
over school desks, strangled
from showerheads, executed
where children play.
Together we pray for peace—
as strangers wave battle
flags, hide assault
rifles behind Bibles.
—Nortina
Just…no words. I am speechless because your poem encapsulates all we have experienced indirectly/directly. Thank you, Nortina.
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Thanks! That’s why I think there will always be Black Literature. Because it speaks to our communal experiences, whether good or bad. For example, Black Twitter needs to be its own genre! 😉
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Yes! I agree! Black Twitter always has me cracked up laughing. Other times Black Twitter makes you think. Absolutely! 🙂
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Beautiful piece
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Thank you!
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