No, they are not all-American boys,
but black & brown shadows, shaping
their futures, wishing for magic
No, they are not powerless, not broken
by an unjust society, making them targets
because they are black diamonds
They are the descendants of Africa,
the un-American negro, nigger, nigga,
related to former slaves of lost origins
Yes, they walk across the brown soil,
of a never – forgotten people,
angry about what has been denied them
Yes, they are neon signs, bodies
like electric artists, illuminating
their canvases for all to see
These boys, these boys of the diaspora
know they carry more than struggle
in their DNA, they carry freedom
Header photograph © Jason D. Ramsey.
Shirley Jones-Luke is a poet and a writer. Ms. Luke lives in Boston, Mass. She has an MFA from Emerson College. Her work has appeared in journals and magazines. During the summer of 2018, Shirley was a participant at VONA and Tin House workshops.
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