This page was created by Brandi Hanna. The last update was by David Squires.
the african and the others
This erasure poem speaks to the moment of revelation for the men: the moment they activate what little autonomy they could gather over their affairs. The space created in this piece is meant to represent the resilience it took for these men to find value in their humanity, go against the orders given to them, developing and actualizing their own man/personhood.
the african and the others
the african knows high water bears rivers
in his arms too arthritic
to hold yet too even to be
killed still
a glance a watching fear a warning
the others don’t know don’t see until the lights flash until
it’s too late
they look they look they look
standing at the foot of the stars
as though they were people.