[Music]
behind me will be a photo by artist
Lawrence Matthews and it's a photo from
his collection to disappear away which
is the photo series it takes a close
look at the effects of gentrification on
poor black and brown neighborhoods I
have three poems for you guys and
they're kind of about that too the first
one is called a place maker a missionary
a conqueror forgive them father for they
know not what they do forgive them
father for they know not what they do
the place maker in the missionary have
tea and my kitchen they sip this tea
from my cups from my cupboards in my
kitchen in my house I am in the kitchen
but I am not at the table they speak but
not with me the place maker and the
missionary disgusts creation and
creators God and places rooms deny the
existence of both I suppose room to
build one or the other if you think the
world void of it the place maker in the
missionary disgusts but God in the
building the whites in the carpenter the
good and the intentions needless to say
they think themselves good and intense
the Conqueror was disinvited to tea the
place maker and the missionary say see
we are progressive the Conqueror was
disinvited we are not like the Conqueror
we do not take without asking sure we
get we give without asking what is
needed but we have read all about you
and your house and your kitchen and your
cups and York
it's in your tea and now just what you
need
there is no knock at the door the
Conqueror lets himself in comes to tea
anyway takes long sips between words
takes they all use the same cologne and
the same aftershave in the same
toothbrush so what was scraped from the
place maker and the missionaries teeth
in the morning it still kicked under the
tongue a conqueror
both boasts and denies bad breath and so
they talk about breath and breathing and
whether or not I need those things in my
neighborhood and what may benefit me
more if they built it in the center of
my lung for what reason what I need to
breathe deeply no what I need is a thorn
in my side to remind me of how much
space I am taking up at any given moment
they all remind me that the process is
necessary all in the same voice at the
same time in my house and my kitchen me
and my places room to deny the existence
of both I suppose room to break one down
if it be in the way of you revitalizing
the other the place maker says wouldn't
you like to have a place to stand and
listen we'll build it here the Conqueror
or the missionary says wouldn't I like
to have a place to kneel and pray we'll
build it here the conqueror between the
long sips he takes in takes he say you
ain't got no kitchen no more so that was
the first one
so while that one addressed issues
around losing or space physical space
being taken this next one the dress is
more abstract ideas related to identity
being borrowed so to speak you want the
brown boy for killing and for kissing
the brown girl for spreading and making
small you want
Mami's titty for your babies but our
babies can't play with your babies and
you want a shea butter holy hour beauty
supply and switch when we walk my
stories I heard you want our angry but
you don't want us angry you want us make
you a plate once high should do your
hair like hers when I flee clade and
jungle boogie on the wild sleeping
without a shiver of limbs or lingering
fear of everything that wants you
sacrificial once you bled out all over a
Star Spangled Banner could you survive
this kind of summer let alone make it to
cracks and your lips winter is the skin
on your back thick enough could you
handle birthing the casket along with
the baby give them a name that
memorializes their dead cousins how do
you reckon son taking our all and
throwing the carcass of black to wayside
even our skins folded between
handkerchief and kept a souvenir
the borrowed you keep in your left
breast pockets I just have one more more
poll for you guys and while the first
two focused want things stolen things
taking this one is very much about all
the things that cannot be taken from us
[Music]
for my people for baby girls in beaded
braids and bird chested pop really baby
boys who we sing in by their pinkies and
they thumbs and fallen asleep in service
and sticking their tongues to the gaps
in their teeth with kool-aid red mouths
and hot cheeto fingers and places to go
and new words to learn and best friends
to make and so they ain't got no time
for dying this be for the sometimes when
they do just that - for my people for
the fan waving always hot auntie's
always hollering auntie's who make hard
pews soft from where these one from
prayer who'll be praying and praying and
asking and hoping and hoping - big boy
cousins protecting cousins always
outside up to no good wish a would
cousins who make leave money in the
mailbox or a cereal box or shoe box or a
box spring for their mothers to find for
groceries for rent for bail for my
people for my dreamy eyes dreaming their
dreams and making their art and moving
in and moving out and being broke and
hungry but ready and restless for the
tired eyes too young to be this tired
eyes and FedEx hubs and Nike factories
who still be dreaming but only when they
sleep for the blush black and the
bruised black and the high yellow black
and the black that's too ashamed to say
it's black and the black unashamed and
loud all my people is loud and hush
mouth and a hum in a choir of bug mouths
and immortal and impossibly angry and a
stretched skin bursting black Jubilee an
Earthbound and sky prone and sharp
darkness and brilliant light and baby
girls and beaten brains and burn chested
pot-bellied baby boys who deserve and
deserve
and deserve for my people let my skin
folk breathe better here sleep better at
night live better and waking as we move
towards this new world where the Sun
shines black
[Music]
[Applause]