AFTER THE POETRY READING, BLACK 2

Resource added
144-145 and Charlie-Hero of it all die upfront, gasping on the stage, yeah, wants you, the Deppity Shuriff, Black Knight President with the white popgun to shoot him down dead ... while to applause, behind adoring screams, he crawls to life again, stands up The Man, junglemaker who in the dark created all--the trap, the chains, the wolves, himself as playmaker, adtaker, hawker of tickets to the show, auctioneer of stars oh, stars that once upon a time fell from the sky in chains of fire ...” Shirtpocketed my Trans-a-lator, turned to leave the stage, but stage itself seemed turning, follow-moving, circling me, enfolding me upfront--though I felt leaving down the aisle not looking back--until some curtain rose and audience was new, was Black, was waiting. Must be some trick my Trans-a-lator knew: pushed in that chromobutton “Black” and only heard the beating of my heart; kept pushing it all till floor rose up on sounds like hoofbeats on the grass, booBOOf-booBOOf-booBOOf, and faster, till breath was around tight as if the climax of some play was on and I was sitting in the crowd-- booBOOf-booBOOf-booBOOf was all in the air-- the brother next to me turned li8ke a page close to my eyes; “ThaCHU he talking bout?” he said. He meant the short Black man upfront who meant the poem I mean to write as I said “Yes” up-coming from The Veil ... A neat, pale hand extended blocked my path till I politely shook it, groping elsewhere in my mind through new poems Black enough (the shock that twitched his face said so) to leave a scar. “He’s disappointed,” I thought. And I knew what I meant. 1977 1978

Full description

Poem written by Emanuel in 1977/1978 about the nature and complexity of Black poetry, with extra sheet attached to page(Page 1)

  • type
    Image
  • created on
  • file format
    jpg
  • file size
    678 KB
  • container title
    James A. Emanuel Papers
  • creator
    James A. Emanuel
  • issue
    BOX 4 FOLDER 27, "The Chopping Block (Selected Poems), draft, 1988 (2 of 2)
  • rights
    James A. Emanuel Estate
  • rights holder
    James A. Emanuel Estate
  • version
    1977/1978