Black poetry in America predates the foundation of the United States, with writers like Phillis Wheatley and Jupiter Hammon laying a foundation for centuries of cultural landmarks.
Since the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2013, a new wave of poets have captured the joys, struggles, and resistance of Black communities. In solidarity of ongoing protests against racism and police brutality in the U.S. and beyond, here’s a selection of recent poems that bear witness to Black life and Black lives.
Rayon Lennon, “Any Light,” (Rattle)
A close encounter with a white golf player’s ball turns a poet’s thoughts to the violent death of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer.
He drinks
Poland water, this kid,
And says he only saw
Me after he launched
His murderous shot. I look
At his yellow ball half-
Buried in the bunker
Growing old with new
Twilight. I’m in Sunday
Tiger red, I point out.
“That’s a color
Anyone would recognize
In any light.”
Read (and listen to) the full poem at Rattle
Khalypso, “Diaspora #1” (Cosmonauts Avenue)
Based in Sacramento, California, Khalypso‘s virtuosic poetry has appeared in numerous journals; this one channels beauty and trauma in the space of a handful of verses.
worry about me. i am not well. a child
has gone missing within me & left
not even detritus. all the things in this world
set to kill me encroach upon
the one smile i can offer a new day.
Read the full poem at Cosmonauts Avenue
T. Miller, “Ten Things You Sound Like When You Say AllLivesMatter in Response to BlackLivesMatter” (Button Poetry)
At a spoken-word event in St. Paul, Minnesota in 2017, T. Miller delivered a performance that feels eerily, tragically timeless. Watch it below, and be sure to explore other work by Miller featured at Button Poetry.
Clint Smith, “How to How to Make a Cardboard Box Disappear in 10 Steps” and “For Charles” (American Literary Review)
Clint Smith is a prolific and widely read essayist and poet. This diptych of poems at American Literary Review telescopes more than two centuries of oppression and survival; here’s a small excerpt from “For Charles,” an homage to a 19th-century Louisiana slave-revolt leader.
Charles, I imagine there came a point
where you decided enough was enough,
the sound of cow hide against flesh,the alchemy of blood & sweat sitting
atop your lip, how the wind
from the Mississippi cooled it whenit raced across your mouth, teasing
your tongue to follow it beyond this
place.
Read the rest of this poem (and its startling companion piece, “How to Make a Cardboard Disappear in 10 Steps,” also on that page), at American Literary Review
Cortney Lamar Charleston, “How Do You Raise a Black Child” (Motion Poems)
Originally published at Beloit Poetry Journal in 2015, this poem by Cortney Lamar Charleston feels epic and cinematic on the page. The team at Minneapolis-based Motion Poems took it one step further and translated it into an actual film — with the poet narrating — and the result is beautiful and crushing.
Explore other cinematic takes on poetry at Motion Poems
To show your support of Black poets, please consider buying these writers’ books or collections, and subscribe to publications — like the ones featured here — that publish their work.
Looking for other ways to join the fight against racism and injustice? Here’s a comprehensive list of resources and ideas.
Brilliant article! Thanks for sharing with us these beautiful poems.
LikeLiked by 33 people
Thank you for these wonderful expressions of artistic love for Black lives!
I wrote this for George Floyd: http://humanwritesblog.com/2020/06/02/ode-to-big-floyd/
One love!
LikeLiked by 26 people
Wow! Beautiful
LikeLiked by 22 people
Really beautiful poems, thank you for sharing them!
LikeLiked by 24 people
Reblogged this on In Search of James and commented:
Thought I’d share these beautiful poems I came across..
LikeLiked by 24 people
It’s amazing what feelings can be conveyed through poetry… some of these lines are chilling
LikeLiked by 24 people
very inspiring article, good job!
LikeLiked by 23 people
The six poems that focus on black lives matter portrays the feelings of sadness, fear, and injustice in this world. Yet the other lines give hope to a better future. How can I buy this writer’s books? I want to show my support for Black poets.
LikeLiked by 29 people
The post contains links to writers’ websites and/or social accounts, where you’d typically find information about ways to support them. Thank you for reading!
LikeLiked by 20 people
Beautiful posts!!!
LikeLiked by 21 people
Awesome! Loving it all of them
LikeLiked by 24 people
Tears fills my eyes as I write this. Black lives matter! We are not a joke and even though I’m not an American, no one deserves this pain.
LikeLiked by 23 people
Really beautiful poems and heartfelt too.
LikeLiked by 23 people
Thank you for sharing!!
LikeLiked by 21 people
Wow. Beautifully written. Thank you for sharing!
LikeLiked by 23 people
Great poems. I really like it .
LikeLiked by 20 people
You describe everything very beautifully i love all of them🙂👍
LikeLiked by 18 people
More valuable than winded expressions is the reflection conditioned by man voting, and voicing their rights with their feet and penning them to be consumed by generations to come. History has no blank pages.#BlackLivesMatter✊🏾
LikeLiked by 21 people
Thank you for sharing this brilliant artistry of the community!
LikeLiked by 23 people
Black lives matter, very true
LikeLiked by 22 people
Well written 👌
LikeLiked by 23 people
I’m an author and artist, I’m impressed.
LikeLiked by 22 people
Love these pieces. Thank you for sharing. Getting my black culture correct. 👏
LikeLiked by 24 people
Black lives matter!
LikeLiked by 20 people
Very beautiful ❤️
LikeLiked by 21 people
Do check out my blog here about a poem on Black lives matter with my artwork on it
LikeLiked by 23 people
A beautiful article.
LikeLiked by 19 people
This is dope, thank you for sharing this work!
LikeLiked by 21 people
I love this type of projects!
LikeLiked by 20 people
Wow! 💚
LikeLiked by 11 people
Love this so much❤️❤️
LikeLiked by 17 people
They are so beautiful.
LikeLiked by 17 people
Thank you so much for sharing this.
LikeLiked by 11 people
Good article, love to read it ✌😁✌
LikeLiked by 11 people
Beautifully written!! Thanks for sharing.
LikeLiked by 13 people
Well said❤
LikeLiked by 16 people
Listening to these stories reminds me of how prevelent and real these things are. Thanks for sharing.
LikeLiked by 17 people
Well written poems carrying a message of the struggles.
LikeLiked by 16 people
Interesting and wonderful poems.
LikeLiked by 12 people
We could be black or white but inside our veins we’re red. We must all stand against racism since at the end of the day the red colour inside us makes one.
LikeLiked by 15 people
Awesomely expressed! 😍
LikeLiked by 13 people
This is beautiful❤️
LikeLiked by 13 people
Excellent 👌
LikeLiked by 11 people
well written!!! thank you for sharing this post👍🏽
LikeLiked by 12 people