Tag Archives: Poetry

The Assassination of Dr. King – My first “political memory”

My first political memory, at age 7, is the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  I was too young to remember the assassinations of JFK and Malcolm X, and although RFK would be assassinated later in the … Continue reading

Posted in Growing Up, Politics & Public Affairs, Race, History & American Society, raising black boys, Revolution, urban decay, Urban Impact | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Poetry Matters

April is National Poetry Month. It was launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996. It is a month to celebrate poets’ integral role in our culture. #poetrymatters. This National Poetry Month, read one of my books of … Continue reading

Posted in Books & Writing Projects | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

From the American Revolution to the Black Arts Cultural Revolution

After the American Revolution, most of the defining moments in American history involve or revolve around Black people.  Black folk were even involved in the American Revolution, fighting on both sides – the British promised Africans and the descendants of … Continue reading

Posted in Politics & Public Affairs, Streets of Rage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Netflix’s “The Fall of the House of Usher”

I just finished binge-watching Netflix’s “The Fall of the House of Usher,” ostensibly about Edgar Allan Poe’s short story of the same name, with a modern twist.  People familiar with Poe’s works will see that much of his work beyond … Continue reading

Posted in Literature & Cultural Criticism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Black Youthful Fate

As youth they couldn’t waitTo reach for the very starsFor them no such thing as fateAs youth they couldn’t waitTo reach for the very stars Their dreams never appeared to be too farFor them no such thing as fateThey’d be … Continue reading

Posted in Family, Memory & Personal Essays | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Maya Angelou Redux

On this, Maya Angelou’s birthday, I thought I would repost a blog, “Maya Angelous: A Muse for All.” On this Day of Love, also known as Valentine’s Day, I want to uplift an author and one of her books, I … Continue reading

Posted in Literature & Cultural Criticism | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Nineteen Sixties

I have written elsewhere about the “Decisive Decade,” a phrase coined by Samuel Yette, about the 1960s.  I found this poem, “SOS,” by Imamu Amiri Baraka, in The Black Poets, edited by Dudley Randall, in the section about poetry of … Continue reading

Posted in Literature & Cultural Criticism, Race, History & American Society | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

National Superhero Day

Today is National Superhero Day. Over the years I’ve written a series of poems about “heroes.” In my last collection, “The Black Blood of Poetry,” which I am shopping around, is this poem: In Search of a Black Hero Coming … Continue reading

Posted in Streets of Rage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month. Purchase and read one of my three books of poetry. My first, award-winning book, Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass: Co-winner of the Edwin Mellen Poetry Prize . . . this poem is … Continue reading

Posted in Justice Chronicles, Mother's Messages, Politics & Public Affairs | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Prison Portal

Poets are on a quest to find a word that is worth a thousand pictures.  I don’t know if there’s a poetry gene, but there’s connective tissue joining poets.  Even before I know a writer is a poet – a … Continue reading

Posted in Justice Chronicles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment