“Make sparks”: an inspirational poem
Posted: February 4, 2014 Filed under: Alexander Best, English | Tags: Black History Month Comments Off on “Make sparks”: an inspirational poem
“Make sparks”: an inspirational poem
.
Best, Carrie;
Desmond, Viola;
Rosa Parks.
Two at The Movies;
One on The Bus;
Three for Justice.
.
Step upon step,
Day after day,
Choice by choice.
And what if You,
And what if I,
Lend our voices,
Look Wrong in its eye?
.
It’s hard to have guts
Yet do it we must
– no ifs, ands, or buts –
Cry “Freedom!” and Aye –
Trust in Our Common Future.
. . .
The illustration at the top is called “Poesía visual para Rosa Parks” by Rodrigo Alvarez. Alvarez uses musical symbols in ironic fashion. His equation means: one white half note does not equal two black quarter notes. Yet in musical notation half notes are white, and they do equal two black quarter notes. Alvarez has created a confusing “non-equation” to draw attention to untenable notions of racial segregation and inequality.
. . . . .
Zócalo Poets 