Brother Authors,
It's time to write. Your posts for day 1 should be placed under this heading.
I begin with the longer poem below titled, Measuring UP
Measuring Up
by
Alfred W. Tatum
How many strands of hair do I have on my bald head?
How many thoughts are there in my empty thinking?
What do you make of the word love I have tattooed on my right arm that shot a glock
What ACT score do I need to get my mind off the block where I once S.A.T as a child
Everybody wants to find the right instrument to measure me
To see if I am becoming what others want me to be
How about this?
I changed my lil bro’s dirty diaper
Combed my sister’s nappy head
Tucked my mother in her seventeen-year-old bed with no headboard
And I borrowed a roll of toilet paper
Before heading off to ninth grade to score a perfect 100 on my algebra test
What’s my score on the algebra test?
Then, I went to English and scored 97% on my quiz
Right after I borrowed a shirt from my boy so I wouldn’t look dirty in front of Monifa
Who sat in the chair behind me
Don’t ask me about the quiz and some stuff I can’t even remember
Because my mind is clouded hoping she didn’t see the hole in the back of my shoes
What’s my score on the English quiz?
Then I had to change in P.E.
With the same dingy drawers
That I am ashamed to have anyone see over the back of my pants
No drooping jeans for me
I keep going because I want perfect attendance
What’s my score for P.E.?
All the time I am thinking how I can change things
For my lil bro and nappy headed sister
Hoping my mother lives long enough to see their successes
And so my dad will be proud of them when he sees them again
I am trying to be the glue and hold it together
But I am so conflicted, restricted
Trying to measure up to people who do not know how to measure me
With their strange instruments
Off to history class to turn in my paper about democratic ideals in a global society
That I worked on all night just to get it right
After listening to more bad news on the news about me
I hope mr. Johnson uses the right rubric on the paper to get it right
My perfect and near perfect scores are adding up
But so are the sores
Where is the instrument that captures both?
Maybe being measured is not a good idea
I think I am going to focus on measuring up
But I am sure someone would like to know how to measure measuring up
I’ll let them figure that out
While I go home to feed my lil bro and nappy headed sister.
Don’t Graffiti Me
ReplyDeleteAfrican American Male
African? or American?
Which one am I? My question is a fragment I should consider revising
Caucasian, Hispanic, Asian
African American, I was born in America.
My ancestors are from Africa, but don’t tag me with that.
This is not a disclaimer used at the end of commercials.
I wasn’t conceived on the continent Africa.
I’m not sure they’d accept me anyway, me and my American ways.
Job Applications, please fill in the oval
I see, Caucasian, Hispanic, Asian, African American and Other
American is not a choice
Black is, but my skin is technically brown.
I don’t know which oval to fill in…I wish they had one with my name.
Paint me the color of a Nation
ReplyDeleteBlack, but my skin is brown
I was born in America not an African Village.
My ancestors went from Africa to Egypt.
I could be Egyptian American.
Everyone else knows where they are from.
Irish, English, French, Canadian
One Nationality
I seem to have two. Maybe I was born in two countries at the same time.
Africa was a name given by a conqueror.
The true name of the slab of rock is unknown, God given.
Native Americans are ones native to America.
African Americans are those Brought from Africa to America.
But I was born here. Why separate Americans.
Who was born in America?
Scientist always want to name things.
White? That’s a pure color, you look a bit red yellowish white to me.
Black is a solid color, but man, look at my skin, Its Brown. Clearly someone is confused.
Brother Author # 11
ReplyDeleteSame old, same old
I walked into the store today
The store clerk looked at me in a strange way
I waited in line for this white guy in front of me
When it came to my turn the clerk said “I need to see some I.D,”
I walked down the street eating my newly bought chips and
The cops stopped me saying that a car was stolen and I happen to fit the description.
I entered a music store to see what albums I can see
A worker took me to the Dr. Dre “Chronic” album saying this is for me.
I was waiting at the bus station for a bus to take me home
The white guy next to me said “Please leave me alone”
I got back to my apartment building at 9:17
I saw another some other white and he looked at me mean.
I entered my apartment and my mom “Son what’s wrong, looks like your day was rough”
I simply replied “Don’t worry mom, just the same old stuff”
As I lay in my bed with sores on my feet, I ask
“Why the same stuff gotta happen to me?”
Population
ReplyDeleteIn America
Why are we being mad at of the color of our skin?
Why are we looked at like we committed sin
Why do some of us have hope?
But the rest doing dope
We ask dick Durban can he see us
But it seems that he doesn’t want to hear us
How come some African Americans have homes
But the rest live alone
You can see there are not a lot African American
Because there are not a lot of populations
Brother Author 4
ReplyDeleteA Story In
The Sun
Is it because our roots
How we look
How we sprout
Don’t whisper
Shout
Have we been out in the sun
Look there he is run
Oh no is that a gun
No don’t sit there
News, how reliable
There’s no way that’s deniable
Is it because our shoes
What now we have to much jewels
Or is it when we tell a story our seeds listen
Im not confused when we are watered properly
We shine
Dont worry the sun will always arrive on time.
Black Male
ReplyDeleteBrother Author #8
Black males are known as negroes, Afro American, and African American
We are acted as if we are mentally challenged
We are called monster, ghetto, and gang banger,
I want my black brother to open up to sociey and spoken for what they are
I know what I am, I am an educated black male, what are you?
Black males are athletic and strong as a person
We can do so much more as a natoin of African Americans
We are compared to famous black people like Bernie Mac, Michael Jackson or Michael Jordon
I don’t want to be known as “that kid who can ball.”
I want to be known as the one that finished school, how are you?
Black males are intelligent that come from a bad neighborhood
We adopt to the environment, we do what we see on the streets
I come from the Southwest side of Chicago, where are you from?
Innocent Bystanders
ReplyDeleteWhy must young black males shoot at one another?
And innocent bystanders be killed?
And yet the subjects of the shootings are not harmed?
These subjects get to live another day,
But innocent bystanders playing outside,
Riding their bikes,
Or just sitting on their front porches
lives must be taken away from them.
Everyone claims to have not seen a thing
While the families weep on national TV.
And the next day all over the news
Is a story of another innocent bystander killed.
I KNOW THEY'RE SAGGIN!!!!!
ReplyDeleteDisgusted expression again
My style represents me
Not us
You don’t get that, wait do you?
From what I know you don’t .
You don’t want to see my underwear you say…
Then don’t look
Pull up my pants
This isn’t your time mister, it’s mine…
Ok???
Do you get it now?
Can you understand that?
Black males
ReplyDeleteby
Brother Author #7
Black males have received the title monster.
We act as if we are in the jungle and we are all trying to survive by killing each other.
We are viewed as if all we ever do is gun everyone down.
We are also called Negros.
That name goes all the way back into slavery.
Now blacks are calling other people Negros as if they were their master.
Violence is killing the once good cities in America.
And Illinois has four of the most dangerous cities in the entire country.
But all black males are not like that.
Some are taking care of their kids and are not up half the night on the block somewhere.
Some in fact are very successful in life and are living their dream.
Those are the people that are setting a good example for black males.
People like Dr.King, President Obama, and Dr.Alfred Tatum.
Those are indeed the black males to look up to.
The Jungle
ReplyDeleteby
Brother Author 3
Wild and fierce
Scary and untamed.
Harmless but hurtful in the green pasture.
Everyday they Roam around.
When you see them you don't bow
They'll make you scream without paw.
You'll kick them but they'll beat you
You'll run but they'll catch you
How do you see short people?
ReplyDeleteDo you see them as someone that’s far from the sky
Judging a short person is like judging a bird
Just because it can fly
short people are living on
Just like me and you
if you think talking about short people is fun
you have a very bad clue
No one is perfect so don’t say they are
If you talk about people your life will feel blank
But if you make friends with people
the army will try to sue you because you’re stronger than
5 tanks
so think about the things you say
a fat person wants to be skinny
and a short person wants to be tall
really for me
I just want to stay alive
that’s all
so go ahead make some jokes I can use a good
laugh
that’s all you can make me do
Me
ReplyDeleteby
Brother Author 5
I am a book, a primary source
I am a push, a powerful force
The color of my skin shows out in a crowd
And now I’m famous and overly proud
Don’t judge me because I’m not you
Your test score is 50 while mine is 92
I’m not you because I like to be me
An intelligent black boy for everyone to see
Don’t look at me when we’re doing a test
Because I’ll be done waiting for what’s next
And you’ll still be sitting there wondering what I would do
That’s why you can never be me and I can never be you
No More Sub(Ways)
ReplyDeleteInspired by Rishard Bournes who described his mistreatment at Subways
By
Alfred W. Tatum
July 2, 2009
4:52am
Subsistence
Full existence
Subpar
Rising star
Subjected
Respected
Substitute
Resolute
Subhuman
HuMAN
Subway
My Way
I’m hungry but you can have your sandwich.
I think I will make my own.