This 13-line free-verse poem starts with gratitude, “I thank you, my God, / for having created me black,” and establishes a mood of celebration. The next line, a continuation of the initial thought, creates a startling counterpoint: “for making me… Read More ›
One of Chris Abani’s several books of poetry, Dog Woman is a series of persona poems (poems voiced through characters other than the poet) employing the conventions of language poetry and elegy to explore the intersection of race, gender, and… Read More ›
In this justly famous poem, which runs to nearly 40 lines, Mongane Serote ironically pays tribute to the city of Johannesburg, where Black South Africans were allowed to work but not live during the apartheid era. Like much of the… Read More ›