The Brooklyn Rail

DEC 16-JAN 17

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DEC 16-JAN 17 Issue
Poetry

Three

 

INSIDE THE HURT NO ANSWERS BUT ENABLERS OF FREEDOM

 

on the face
there is little beneath
— over the years, the openings shine
frailty is acquired
noble steps forgiven

it’s not the accident
that diverts — it's all the stopping
that comes with it, how wise
someone else would say
not me

the time for vanity
reshaped, by interior dialogues
that forget — how the years bore
lightly
into the tiniest crack

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INSEMINATION OF THE AVANT GARDE‘O’RICAN                          
RE-INSERT-A-NATION OF ’EM AVANT GARDE‘O’RICANS
RE-EXAMINATION OF THE DOWNTOWN ’RICAN
                        — OF THE AVANT WE-CAN
                        — OF THE AH WANNA ’RICAN GARDE
                        — OF THE AH WOKE UP A ’RICAN GOD
                        — AND GOTS ME A SPEAKIN’ GOD
                        — GOTS ME HUNG UP ON A NATION
                        — GOT HUNG UP ON A NATION
                        — WHY ME GETS HUNG UP’ YO
                        — WHITE ME GETS HUNG YUP’ YO
                        — WIPE ME HANDS ON SOMETHIN’ YO

WHITE MAN DELUSION
HUNG UP ON SOLUTION
NIGHT DEMANDIN’ CLUES’YON
GOTS HUNG UP ON DELUSION
IT’S A LITTLE BIT CON’FUSION
WRITIN’ WHAT I DO
WITH LAST NAME INTRUSION
SOME LAST NAME DELUSION
                       MY LAST NAME’S - MY BLACKFACE
                       GOT BLASS - TED - ON MY SPACE

INTERNET POLLUTION
LOOKIT WHAT I DO’MON
I'M WHITE LIKE YOU
MELANIN ABLUTIONS
GOT MELANIN ABLUTIONS
STARING AT THE CLUES
NO ONE KNOWS BUT YOU’MON
NO ONE KNOWS A HU’MON

HIDE BEHIND THE CLUES
I’M RIGHT LIKE YOU
SIMPLIFY THE MOVE’SON
SIMPLIFY THE NEWS
ANOTHER WHITE MAN ON THE LOOSE
GOTTA BETTER CHANCE THAN YOU
ASSIMILATE THE BLUES’SON
THE IMMI-GROOVE’S ON YOU

BORDER WHAT YOU DO’YON
YOUR BORDER’S ON THE MOVE
BORICUAS ON THE MOVE’SON
BORICUAS ON THE MOON
QUE VIVA BABA LU’SON
QUE VIVA BABA LU
                        — I’M A MAN-MAN-MENTIRA
                        — I’M A BAN-BAN-BANDERA
                        — FROM THE SLUM-SLUM-FAVELAS
                        — OF MY CUM-CAM-PESIA

SONS OF A NATION I’M A
SEMEN OF A NATION
BLOOD OBLITERATION
CHROMOSOME IMPROVE’MON
DARWIN OPPORTUNE’EM
DNA THE RULE’SON
DNA THE POOL
DEMONS IN YER SCHOOL’YON 

FIGHTY FIGHT THE FOOLS
BULLIES’ EVOLUTION
IT’S A BULLIES’ EVOLUTION
NIGHT NIGHT NEWS
WHITE ON WHITE ILLUSION
SWALLOW WHAT YOU CHOOSE’SON
THE FUTURE LOOKS LIKE YOU
WHY ADMIT POLLUTION

MERCURIAL CONTUSION
USE’EM WORDS TO BRUISE’EM
BLACK ON BLACK AN’ BLUE’MON
TRY TO MAKE YER MOVE  …  FEED A
DARKER PART A’YOU  …  SEE THE MASTER
MASTER YOU  …  I’M A NOAH WITH NO CLUE
LET’EM WATERS  …  WHISTLE THROUGH
LET’EM WHITER WAYS  …  COME THROUGH

I’M A NO ONE ON THE LOOSE
WHAT YOU GONNA DO’MON 
BETTER MAN THAN YOU?
INTERSECT THE CLUES’SON
INTERNET THE NOOSE
HUNG UP ON THE NOOSE
YER HUNG UP ON THE NEWS’SON
HIDE BEHIND THE CUES

I’M WHITE LIKE YOU
EARTH MAN DELUSION
I CAME TO SUFFER HU’MANS
I CAME TO SUFFER YOU


IT’S THAT GUILT THAT BUILT YA  
GUILT WILL TRIP YA
GUILT WILL RIP
WHAT YA THINK YER BUILT FOR
GUILT WILL MILK YA
GUILT WILL TRICK YA
IT’S THAT GUILT THAT BUILT
WHAT YA CAN’T RESIST YA

MIGHT MIGHT RULE
BUT RIGHT WRITES RULE
WHY MAN FOOL
NO ONE KNOWS BUT YOU




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A SONG FOR NO’MERICA


… from the edges that inspire me …   
… to the edges that surround me …
… to the edges that define me …
…i’m a land of no horizon …

… from the galaxies below me …
… to the galaxies above me …
… to the families inside me …
…i’m a man of no horizon …

i wanna speak American
i wanna speak my island
i wanna go where i can No
i wanna reach no island

how do you speak No’Merican
how do you speak no island
i wanna know where i can go
if I can speak no island

… from the waters i was born in …   
… to the borders i will die in …
… to the edges i imagine …
…i’m a man of no horizon …

… as i walk the open skyway …
… free of all i hold inside me …
… what i leave for those who love me …
… in the land of no horizon …

i wanna preach a miracle
i wanna speak no island
i wanna go where i can know
i wanna reach no island

i wanna speak American
i wanna speak my island
i wanna know if i’m alone
are you the same as i am

 

 

 

Contributor

Edwin Torres

Edwin Torres is a NYC native and editor of The Body In Language: An Anthology (Counterpath Press). His books of poetry include; Quanundrum: i will be your many angled thing (Roof Books) which received a 2022 American Book Award, Xoeteox: the collected word object (Wave Books), and Ameriscopia (University of Arizona Press). Anthologies include; New Weathers: Poetics from the Naropa Archives, The Difference Is Spreading: 50 Contemporary Poets on Fifty Poems, and Poets In The 21st Century: Poetics of Social Engagement. He is currently hovering the zeitgeist, occasionally unearthed in Beacon, NY.

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The Brooklyn Rail

DEC 16-JAN 17

All Issues