To My Hands: Ally Poem, Responding to Danez Smith What can I give but my hands? Hands that tightened on the top of the purse. Hands that bought and took. Hands that shot up to speak first. Hands that hung silent at the sides afraid to even flinch. Hands that stayed closed. Open my hands. Let these hands take pause, listen. Give them the right words, the right ink. These hands know how to dig. How to turn the earth. Let them build a home not a wall. Let them build a table not an altar. A couple days ago, I posted an Open Letter to White Poets by Danez Smith, in which he invokes white poets to step forward and write poems, the uncomfortable poems, to look at how we are a part of and change a society and judicial system that has edited for all from with liberty & justice (Danez Smith). So to that end, made a first attempt to write an ally poem, trying to address some of my own racism/bystanderism (and falling short). The above poem is also inspired by the prayer of merit from yom kippur, which describes the bodys potential to be a vehicle for good/holiness in the world and its complete failure over the past year. Hoping that this is moving in the right direction. To see Danez Smiths letter: donshare.blogspot/2014/11/open-letter-to-white-poets-from-danez.html?m=1 For more reading: blackpoetsspeakout.tumblr/
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 15:30:01 +0000
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