After the Poetry Reading, Black (with annotations) 4

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112 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 roase and audience was new, was Black, was waiting. Must be some trick my Trans-s-lator knew: pushed in that chromobutton “Black” and only heard the beating of my heart; kept pushing it till floor rose up on sounds like hoofbeats on the grass, booBOOF- booBOOF- booBOOF-, and faster, till breath around was tight as if the climax of some play was on and I was sitting in the crowd-- booBOOF- booBOOF- booBOOF- as all in the air [*A listener at City College admired this breathing technique.*] The brother next to me turned like a page close to my eyes; “ThaCHU he was 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… [*Du Bois’s well-known “veil” idea in The Souls of Black Folk.*] A neat, pale hand extended blocked my path

Full description

Poem written by Emanuel in 1976-1977/1978, typed with handwritten notes specifying where he worked on this poem: France, Poland, and Holland. The narrator notices that Black creatives are limited in their art when they set out to only create Black art, without incorporating their individuality. (Page 4)

  • type
    Image
  • created on
  • file format
    jpg
  • file size
    635 KB
  • container title
    James A. Emanuel Papers
  • creator
    James A. Emanuel
  • issue
    BOX 5 FOLDER 12 "Whole Grain and Later Poems of James A. Emanuel (Annotated by the Auhtor), draft, part I, 1995 (2 of 2)
  • rights
    James A. Emanuel Estate
  • rights holder
    James A. Emanuel Estate
  • version
    1976/1977