WHITE-BELLY JUSTICE 1

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WHITE-BELLY JUSTICE: A NEW YORK SOUVENIOR by. J. Emanuel I remember Her Ugliness standing-- New York attorney-at-law-- and the lumpy toad in the Judge’s chair sucking his strength from her real initials, DDD: DEEdeedeeflop, DEEdeedeeflop, flapping chill in his lap, imaginary as black robes she seemed to wear, flicking her toadness, fire-daggering his tender places with Xeroxed edges of her brutal smile: Ugliness blackmailing sinew through his lips, her arrogance muscling in, choking his gavel bent to punctuate His Honor’s choice, his like, its odor kinking the page in Court Decisions, Item Three Six Seven echoing DEEdeedee, DEEdeedee, a toad croaking my name for the record, for remembrance, that heavy souvenir, bloodtrack flopping back, snake tongue wrinkling the skirt of Ugliness, DEEdeedee, DEEdeedee her demon perceived as human, as if it could smell like coffee, wear smoke in its hair like me and you, Black People, YOU, branded too for scorn when Ugliness (steaming since the day I spelled her alias on her face) stunk open my file cabinet, clawing for evidence to brew, and broomsticked off to her lawyer’s cave secreting venom on the stolen treasures (holographs and letters, drafts and clippings, handbills, originals once-in-a-lifetime rare) first owned by many names you love: Langston Hughes, who moved the soft Black mountain of his race; Mary McLeod Bethune, who lullabied a college in her Southern arms;

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Poem written by Emanuel addressing issues of corruption in the legal system, especially when Black people are victims. Mentions key figures such as Langston Hughes and Mary McLeod Bethune. (Page 1)

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  • type
    Image
  • created on
  • file format
    jpg
  • file size
    707 kB
  • container title
    James A. Emanuel Papers
  • creator
    James A. Emanuel
  • issue
    BOX 4 FOLDER 22, Chisel in the Dark, draft, n.d.
  • rights
    James A. Emanuel Estate
  • rights holder
    James A. Emanuel Estate
  • version
    Final