Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Poetry for Black History Month

There's Hakim Bellamy of course,

And more (many sites with audio)
________When the revolution comes
________some of us will catch it on TV
________with chicken hanging from our mouths
________you'll know it's revolution
________because there won't be no commercials
________when the revolution comes - 1970

Derek Walcott's "A City's Death by Fire" (Omeros)

After that hot gospeller has levelled all but the churched sky,
I wrote the tale by tallow of a city's death by fire;
Under a candle's eye, that smoked in tears, I
Wanted to tell, in more than wax, of faiths that were snapped like wire.
All day I walked abroad among the rubbled tales,
Shocked at each wall that stood on the street like a liar;
Loud was the bird-rocked sky, and all the clouds were bales
Torn open by looting, and white, in spite of the fire.
By the smoking sea, where Christ walked, I asked, why
Should a man wax tears, when his wooden world fails?
In town, leaves were paper, but the hills were a flock of faiths;
To a boy who walked all day, each leaf was a green breath
Rebuilding a love I thought was dead as nails,
Blessing the death and the baptism by fire.
And let us not forget the musical splendor of AfroCuban poet Nicolas Guillen - CAÑA (from (Poemas)
El negro
junto al cañaveral.

El yanqui
sobre el cañaveral.

La tierra
bajo el cañaveral.

¡Sangre
que se nos va!

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