oh deer, i am sorry for your roadsidefuneral—speeding procession of shock & pitywe wonder how a deer dies—suicide?& what of the fender that did you ineyeless bastard with no regard for naturethis your backyard—black boys sympathetic thoughknow what it like to lie in the road for hoursthe sun making fun of your composureoh deer, how you decompose bloodless bodyparty of rigor mortis only your headdisintegrates into a mulch of leavesblack boys not as graceful their clumsy bloodshimmers & shames the pavement oh dear deer,at least your death accident though some’ll say you had it coming
roadkill
t'ai freedom ford
Feature Date
- May 17, 2019
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Copyright © 2018 by t’ai freedom ford.
All rights reserved.
Reproduced by Poetry Daily with permission
& more black by t’ai freedom ford is a collection of what ford calls “Black-ass sonnets,” which take their cues from Wanda Coleman’s “American sonnets.” For ford, the word “American” conjures the spirit of her ancestors. The poems are rebellious, outspoken, and take no shit. They investigate Black art, Black bodies, Black sexuality, and Black language, unapologetically and with a capital B.
“This is a book holding spectacular spells, songs, and instructions for freedom.”
—Terrance Hayes
“& more black is truth moving at the speed of sound.”
—Patrick Rosal
t’ai freedom ford’s second collection of poems, & more black, is direct, ingenious, vibrant, alive, queer, & BLACK. By turns tough and sexy, wrapped up in the evolving language and sonics of life, these poems take their cue from Wanda Coleman’s American Sonnets as they rhapsodize and dialogue with artists such as Carrie Mae Weems, Glenn Ligon, and Wangechi Mutu, along with many other musicians, artists, and writers. The kinetic energy of ford’s words leap off the page in rebellious, stunning, and revelatory fashion—poems that mesmerize with sheer velocity and telling pauses.
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