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Wednesday, March 30, 2011

imprisoned, age seven


imprisoned, age seven



it is frozen

inside a sepia photograph. & i

am forever

its imprisoned child.

the dark brown child

grimacing inside, when the white

photographer demanded


"smile..." this is what

"happy" looked like

at seven. after

my father

brushed & greased my

defiant, black hair

into some semblance of


a part. tied a noose around my neck... &

fashioned from my squirming,

crying, wildness this

upright afro-

american child.


& so...

half-heartedly

slyly, then rebelliously, i

became "him"... this

little brown clown of

robotic assimilation.


posed, frozed in his

best sunday clothes, until

he did not look, or feel

or even smell like me.



"smile..." you little fool


this one's for

prosperity.






One.

Photobucket


© 2006 by L.M.Ross moaningmanblues

13 comments:

Mizrepresent said...

Like wow! Very descriptive, very emotional and touching. I feel you!

♥ CG ♥ said...

The silent cry...relative to so many of us...

Mizrepresent said...

Nice, and so very beautiful you!

JStar said...

This was really nice....I love your angle at writing this!

Babz Rawls Ivy said...

Hello dear One. Very lovely and masculine. We black women who used to be black girls have these hair stories...it never occurred to me that Brothers would have that same deal. But I guess so.

Anonymous said...

hey stranger..glad to have found you here again...nice..almost made me get emotional...must be the wine..

Daij said...

What a great poem of that experience. I felt that. And I remembered similar experiences. You're a great poet!

Anna Renee said...

a part. tied a noose around my neck...

& fashioned from my squirming,
crying, wildness this

upright afro-

american child.



Brother the word play is brilliant!
There is so much going on in this one passage!

Wizardress said...

SO much said in so few words.

Been thinking of you a lot lately :) xx

Reggie said...

We all had to start somewhere brother.

Felicia Monique said...

Great feeling, imagery, and creativity!

Chet said...

I can certainly identify. meories of the youth of a Black male child.

Unknown said...

YOU ARE SOMETHING GUY!