One of the poems from the packet which stood out to me was A Small Needful Fact by Ross Gay. The reason this poem stood out to me was due the way in which it serves to humanize Eric Garner and other victims of police brutality by demonstrating the impact he had on the community. For instance, when referring to Garner being a part of the Parks and Rec. Horticultural Dept., Gay states “he put gently into the earth some plants which, most likely, some of them, in all likelihood, continue to grow, continue to do what such plants do…” This line is powerful because it shows how even though Garner may be gone, his impact on this world lives on, especially with the many movements to battle police brutality.
Another poem that stood out to me was American Sonnet for My Past and Future Assassin by Terrance Hayes. The reason this stood out to me was its powerful use of language. More specifically, when Hayes says ” her head in a chamber of black Modern American music may begin, almost Carelessly, to breathe n-words”. This stood out to me because 1) it highlights how black American culture is consumed by so many different demographics throughout different forms of media, and 2) because it shows how even the “most kindhearted” of white women are still part of a greater racist system and society, whether they know it or not.
The final poem which stood out to me was Bullet Points by Jericho Brown. What stood out about this poem to me was how it uses extremely powerful language to convey the brutal nature of being black in America. For instance, Brown says “He took Me from us and left my body, which is, No matter what we’ve been taught, Greater than the settlement A city can pay a mother to stop crying, And more beautiful than the new bullet Fished from the folds of my brain.” The graphic use of imagery and powerful language serves to both demonstrate the cruelty many black Americans face on a day to day, and the unquestionable value and significance that black lives hold, regardless of whatever a racist institution might try to instill in our minds.
