Tag Archives: North American African Perspective

Bleaching Cream Blues

Posted on October 12, 2014 by Ayodele Nzinga, MFA, PhD

  early in the morning before the world puts on its face she stands in front of the mirror pinching this poking that pulling on the other she turns slowly counting the ways in which she is not enough too … Continue reading →

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Visible

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Ayodele Nzinga, MFA, PhD

its not the hoodies or the skittles BART rides not the wallet he pulled out or the comb the cell phone not the toy gun or the raised empty hands perhaps its the kiss of melanin the brown black velvet-ness … Continue reading →

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Cotton’s Memory

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Ayodele Nzinga, MFA, PhD

cotton has a memory dreams that never went away a land of cotton with a memory held close like lovers mementos whispered quietly  in board rooms that smell of linen & avarice living quiet lives at the dinner parties of … Continue reading →

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Phenomenology

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Ayodele Nzinga, MFA, PhD

it is not your imagination its reality invisible unspoken really real for black & brown bodies housed in bruised lives it is an immutable truth bearing down ruthlessly on a harsh reality measured by any standard its not an individual … Continue reading →

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razor

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Ayodele Nzinga, MFA, PhD

razor blue steel glow like the moon in the dark of night i call it cotton cuz it comes out when the rubber leave the road then cotton runs the show the moment they act like they dont see me … Continue reading →

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Cotton

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Ayodele Nzinga, MFA, PhD

I inherited a legacy cotton is my inheritance cotton chain gangs& songs about chariots chariots chain gangs & cotton joe turner came and never left he over yo shoulder cotton on his breath my memory of cotton is older than … Continue reading →

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Baggage

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Ayodele Nzinga, MFA, PhD

there are things i know things that came with me things older than me older than my mother and her mother things from the wind things from the ocean things sung by the dirt i remember the roll on the … Continue reading →

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idenity

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Ayodele Nzinga, MFA, PhD

tempered, forged, amalgamated solid containing an internal logic no predicable ambient point not likely to melt in benign circumstance likely to reassemble in its original pattern coalesced from remnants stubborn essential parts determining a whole complete with its own center … Continue reading →

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Family

Posted on May 10, 2014 by Ayodele Nzinga, MFA, PhD

before the war on families we were different together warm handsdeep voicesroses in the springmelon in the summerschool clothescar vacationsaunts unclesgrandpas’ & granniespresents on Christmas morningEaster dinnerchurch on new years eve we were holding vigilkeeping the watch granny said we … Continue reading →

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Ralph Ellison’s Song

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Ayodele Nzinga, MFA, PhD

slain by ink again & again made invisible unseen conjured on the 11 o’clock news new mau mau’s jeans low wild threats to civility written on like a wall like an epitaph suffering on the margin blues after notes air … Continue reading →

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