The Black Man
By: Brielle Watson-Wood
The black man
A product of divinity
Strung through the thrones of the rose bushes to be pricked and plucked
thrown back to the starting line because as soon as you get to the finish line
prospering the next level the game operator resets the game and sends you right back to the starting line
Because it was written in code: never let the black man prosper
Never let him win
add drugs as a mini game in the process maybe sex or alcohol
No matter what never let him win
let him see the finish line but never pass it
Send police at his feet
Lock him up if he makes it to close because that means he’s smart
And we don’t want that
No no no we don’t want that
he’s not supposed to win it’s written in the code
Brielle, two lines really jumped out to me because they reminded me of George Washington rotating his enslaved people out of Pennsylvania every 6 months to circumvent the PA gradual abolition law: "thrown back to the starting line because as soon as you get to the finish line/
ReplyDeleteprospering the next level the game operator resets the game and sends you right back to the starting line"
Hi Brielle;
ReplyDeleteI found your piece to be very provocative. I was immediately drawn to the line which reads:"thrown back to the starting line as soon as you get to the finish line" because ,I think that it captures
the reality of the lives of many men of color in our society today. I was especially riveted by the final sentence which reads:"he`s not supposed to win it`s written in the code. Please keep writing!
The image of a man that's "a product of divinity" caused me to read the rest of the poem with Christianity in mind. Since your poem discusses persecution and people who are victims of society, I see definite parallels to stuff that the Bible brings up as well.
ReplyDeleteIt's especially interesting because you also incorporate more modern symbolism related to technology and video games, so it creates a strong commentary on things that don't change through time.
Hi Brielle!
ReplyDeleteI love how this piece addressed the problems of the modern-day world in a very artistic and open way. I also found that keeping the main theme of never letting him win helped the reader always come back to the one point. More specifically, I liked the lines that say "thrown back to the starting line because as soon as you get to the finish line/
prospering the next level the game operator resets the game and sends you right back to the starting line " I think this line gives a huge comparison to what you're trying to explain which helps the reader understand it better.
A strong statement that makes the reader think. YOU ARE A WRITER!
ReplyDeleteI really like the line "Strung through the thrones of the rose bushes to be pricked and plucked;" it's very beautiful. I like the alliteration in "through" and "thrones," as well as "pricked" and "plucked." The strong sounds reinforce the stinging hardships and injustices that your poem brings to light.
ReplyDelete