This place is an ark now. Behave as you would on an ark. I said these things to the man as soon as he got home. The man looked at me and then he looked at our home. He said he did not know how he would behave on an ark. I asked him to please relax and as an example I relaxed by allowing my body to rock slightly with the waves. When I opened my eyes I saw he had followed my lead but then had surpassed me. He was more of a wave than a man now which I found insulting. Stop it I said. You are going to sink us. He kept sloshing. It was vulgar. He said now you are my fish.
"Capitalism is the worst bird, able to make a tool out of its destruction. Bad phoenix. How do you kill the unkillable thing? The thing that builds the most dangerous and violent houses: the precincts, the banks, the courts, the boardrooms, the leasing office, the capital."
Resources for Supporting and Uplifting the Black Community
Black Visions Collective: This social justice organization wants to focus on "work in healing and transformative justice principles, intentionally develop our organization's core 'DNA' to ensure sustainability, and develop Minnesota’s emerging black leadership to lead powerful campaigns."
Buy Books Online: Black-owned book stores across the country are open and ready to accept online orders. Start your search here.
Communities United Against Police Brutality: "This Twin Cities-based organization confronts police brutality by providing those in need with services, including but not limited to crisis hotlines and legal, medical, and psychological referrals."
Poetry Daily stands with the Black community. We oppose racism, oppression, and police brutality. We will continue to amplify diverse voices in the poetry world. Black Lives Matter.
"Poetry is attention; poetry demands attention. We feel the breath of each word as it is given to us. And here is this stunning and vibrant poem by Brooks—a poet who is no longer alive writing about a person who is no longer alive. And yet as I read it, we are all very much here, present through Brooks’s attention to language and our careful listening."
