"Our country is the world, our countryman is all mankind."
from The Liberator Oct. 23rd, 1857.
Give me strongest, your most virile,
Clap 'em up on the boats put 'em up on the stand
"Fifty, can I get fifty dollars for this Nigger?"
Give me your smartest, your most dangerous,
War crimes go away if you're of some use to us.
"Landing a man on the moon..."
Bloody Monday, Louisville immigrants,
Bloody Kansas abolitionists.
Lexington revolutionists.
Klu Klux Klan.
Black Panthers, Crips
Bloods, The Fallen at Sharpsburg
Or Wounded Knee.
Hiroshima. Krauts and Japs.
Some things seem pretty clear,
If the man across from you is just like you, you have problems
Killin 'em. The US military uses video games to desensitize soldiers.
But gangstas know that the other guy is just in it for him,
Just like me clawing for some power and bread.
You be killin em. Oh.
The Katrina looting in N.O.
Would be illegals,
Smashed between boats.
Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight, but instead
It's blood red, bleach white and blue.
Our country is the world, our countryman is all mankind.
The first two stanzas are a good hook. Really strong. I like the second particularly because I haven't seen Von Braun addressed as often, and his case is at the heart of the hypocrisy and injustice you're addressing here. Really excellent.
ReplyDeleteStanza three is interesting, but a bit dry. Not a lot of processing or emotive force. I also question the inclusion of Malcolm X. Is throwing a question mark after his name a little bit of a cheat? If you want him in the list, put him in. If you feel like there's more you have to do to justify his name there, then beef it up.
The first line of stanza four doesn't move the narration forward and reads as a significant break in voice without an identifiable purpose. Perspective has shifted from the opening, but where has it gone? Who is the speaker now?
Videogames, yes. Ganstas, yes. Katrina, illegals, etc. All of this works, and yes, hits home.
Great power through to the end. On the whole, very potent. Cutting. Has America ever had a good cultural approach to the Other? Great meditation and indictment.
I think I disagree with you on the Malcolm X...the question mark to me signifies that he's ON this list, but I'm not sure he belongs there. I can see the break in tone on stanza four, but it's going back to the title...
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