You always or almost always only one in the room Maybe two Three is a crowd Three is a gang Three is a company of thieves...........Three is wow there's so many of you Three will get you confused with people that look nothing like you you get called Devin your name isn't Devin you do your best not to ignore such casual erasure you know silence will be received as affirmation praise even & you always affirmative You affirmative action action figure You fantastic first black friend...You first-ballot quota keeper....You almost cry when your history professor says you know in this country the gold standard used to be people Funny how no one comes right out & says things like you people anymore it's all code words like thug or diversity hire You diversity all by yourself..........You contain multitudes & are yet contained everywhere you go confined like there is always someone watching you & isn't there & isn't that the entire point of this flesh you inherited this unrepentant stain be twice as good mama says as if what they have is worth your panic worth measuring your very life against & you always remember to measure Your hair, your volume, your tone over email, you perpetually sorry......You don't know why You apologize to no one in particular just for being around & in your body at the same time You know your body is the real problem You monster........You beast of burden You beast & burden You horse but human You centaur You map the stars & pull back your bow to shoot the moon in its one good white eye You are everything your big sister says & on your best days above ground you believe her
I started this poem when I was 17 years old. I wasn't able to finish it until I reached my early thirties, and the language found its proper frame. Once finished, I knew it was the best way to open "Owed." With the language of blackness and value, commodification, debt and reparation, care.
"We will remember him every time we pass the plaque with his poem, 'This Library,' in the foyer of the Iowa City Public Library, when we stop at the wall in the Pedestrian Mall that bears his poem, 'Writers in a Cafe'—written to celebrate Iowa City’s designation as a UNESCO City of Literature—or stroll by his spot on the Iowa Avenue Literary Walk."
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.
"But Zewdu’s poem is all about lightness and wit: he mixes 12 syllable yewel bet lines with 6 syllable half-lines, making the poem very light and quick on its feet; he subverts the traditional aabb rhyme scheme and keeps readers a bit off-balance with a/bb/ccc/d/ee. So the task of translating this poem is to convey Zewdu’s clear message while staying true to his wit and lightness."
