Poets: keeping the vision alive - works by black women poets

poets KEEPING THE VISION ALIVE

in the sixties, poetry was fiery with such passionate voices as those of Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez, Gwendolyn Brooks, Haki Madhubuti (Don L. Lee) and the Last Poets. This vital form of creative self-expression has continued, though at a simmer, throughout the past 20 years.

Today the oral tradition is rekindling. This new decade will see an explosion of the poetic word. Although few consumer magazines publish poems anymore. ESSENCE has always been a forum for our poets. In this tribute to African-American women poets, we highlight a few of the finest poems of the past 20 years. African-American poets: Their time is now. Feel their fire.

POEM NO. 8

i've been a woman with my legs stretched by the wind rushing the day thinking i heard your voice while it was only the nite moving over making room for the dawn.

- SONIA SANCHEZ

SHOUT

Dee Dee said she wouldn't shout in

church unlessen the Spirit hit her in such a way she couldn't help herself (what other way she think it happen) cause - shouting was not her uncool thing. not necessary smile, pat yo feet, clap yo hands and say amen (not too loud, please) Spirit hit her it did knocked her down sat her upright again opened her mouth made a shout come out and left her sitting wide-eyes at all the "saints" who had prayed that one day Dee Dee would know what they meant when they sang i can't hold it i can't help it "feel like fire in my bones" if'fen i don't shout i feel like i might turn to stone. even, the rocks can cry out.

- CAROLYN M. RODGERS

MALCOLM

Those who say they knew you offer as proof an image stunted by perfection. Alert for signs of the man to claim, one must believe they did not know you at all nor can remember the small, less popular ironies of the Saint: that you learned to prefer all women free and enjoyed a joke and loved to laugh.

- ALICE WALKER

PUSH BACK THE

CATASTROPHES

I don't want a drought to feed on itself through the tattoed holes in my belly I don't want a spectacular desert of charred stems & rabbit hairs in my throat of accumulated matter I don't want to burn and cut through the forest like a greedy mercenary drilling into the sugar cane of the bones Push back the advancing sands the polluted sewage the dust demons the dying timber the upper atmosphere of nitrogen push back the catastrophes Enough of the missiles the submarines the aircraft carriers the biological weapons No more sickness sadness poverty exploitation destabilization illiteracy and bombing Let's move toward peace toward equality and justice that's what I want To breathe clean air to drink pure water to plant new crops to soak up the rain to wash off the stink to hold this body and soul together in

peace that's it Push back the catastrophes

- JAYNE CORTEZ

SPEAK THE TRUTH TO THE

PEOPLE

Speak the truth to the people Talk sense to the people Free them with reason Free them with honesty Free the people with Love and Courage

and Care for their Being Spare them the fantasy Fantasy enslaves A slave is enslaved Can be enslaved by unwisdom Can be enslaved by black unwisdom Can be re-enslaved while in flight

from the enemy Can be enslaved by his brother whom he loves His brother whom he trusts His brother with the loud voice And the unwisdom Speak the truth to the people It is not necessary to green the heart Only to identify the enemy It is not necessary to blow the mind Only to free the mind To identify the enemy is to free the

mind A free mind has no need to scream A free mind is ready for other things

To BUILD black schools To BUILD black children To BUILD black minds To BUILD black love To BUILD black impregnability To BUILD a strong black nation To BUILD.

Speak the truth to the people. Spare them the opium of devil-hate. They need no trips on honky-chants. Move them instead to a BLACK ONENESS. A black strength which will defend its

own Needing no cacophony of screams for

activation. A black strength which attacks the laws exposes the lies disassembles the structure and ravages the very foundation of evil.

Speak the truth to the people To identify the enemy is to free the mind Free the mind of the people Speak to the mind of the people Speak Truth.

- MARI EVANS

COPYRIGHT 1990 Essence Communications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group