Black
Flagged - Words in Exile: Entry 1
This word was flagged by the U.S. government for erasure in 2025. Click Here. Or not.
BLACK
black hands press violets
into clay. who said she couldn’t?
midnight doesn’t fold-
it drops. a black hat on the stoop.
rain-soaked. no one coming back.
the black night doesn’t lean. it sits. heavy. do you smell it? gasoline and wet asphalt. I’m walking into it, my mouth already rust.
one black feather, stuck
in chain-link. shaking.
listen: the city keeps it moving-
buses, sirens, someone’s radio.
this is what I’m talking about.
currently listening to…
👍🏻. I’ll say it with you, BLACK.
Four of my grandchildren are mixed race.
The white world sees them as BLACK.
They may ban the word, but they still use it to ban the child.
Black as night
Right-left feathers flee
The wind paints
Letters on walls
Brush birds
strokes song freedom
Sings.