Black Poets Don't Exist

 

The bell rung and we took our seats

And waited for the teacher to speak

She called out all names one by one

When she was done she focused

All of her attention on me

She stood up to address the class

As she kept staring at my black a*s

She said your real teacher  

Disappeared and that is why

They have sent me here

To teach the truth

To you, the youth

The future of society

As she kept her eyes

Fixated on me

I rolled my eyes at her as

I turned away

That is when I heard her say

Black Poets Don’t Exist

I could not believe that 

I heard this nonsense

I looked over my shoulder

To see 

Who was behind me

To my surprise

Before my I eyes

I realized 

It was Nikki Giovanni

Also in my view was

Angelou

Johnson and

Wright

All

Were imbued

To join the fight

Shakespeare

Disappeared

Because he feared

That an un-penned tragedy

Was near

Poe would have been 

A formidable

Foe but he knows

That the crow is a

Distant cousin of the

Raven

He knew that saving

Her was a waste of time

For ignorance and stupidity

Left her blind

So In that moment

I sucked my teeth

As listened to her speak

"Black minds are weak

They can’t conceptualize

Or visualize the words"

It was the most ignorant

Thing that I had ever heard

Frost got lost as common

Sense got tossed out the window

The innuendos caused my muse

To flow

Like Gwendolyn Brooks

Hayden

Dunbar

Shakur

And more

Along with

Baldwin

All of us sat with  

Sheepish grins

T.S. had to digress

Cause it was going

To be a mess in “The Wasteland”

She heard Ginsberg “Howl”

In the back

And wasn't sure 

How to react

As it has been told

That E.E was Cumming

Through

So here is what I am going

To do

Refute that to which

You think is true

 

Black poets do exist

As I recite this

To you, by you and through you

Cause it evident that you

Never knew even

In the Bayou

Juke joints made their points

As they added music to their

Muse is was amusing

So they laughed and called

It jazz

But today they say

Words with a beat

Is rap perhaps

But I dare to split the hairs

And say that its hip hop

That caused

Arms and legs to lock

Words flowing from

The top of their heads

By the time I Get to Arizona

By Public Enemy

Has been said 

Helped King’s holiday 

To be a reality

So the fallacy 

In your thought

Is being torn apart by this

Black Poets do exist

 

Cause I am one

I am the raisin

In the sun that is

Raising your conscience

Launch this

Upon this

I build my church

For anyone

That is doubting

Their self-worth

Touch the Hem of my words

Even unraveled they

Can be heard

Look in the mirror

Is it now clearer?

Is it no surprise?

That right before

Your eyes

I have changed all of this

You have been dismissed

Guess what?

Black Poets Do Exist!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Author's Note

this stems from a quote I heard as a teen, "if you don't black folks to know anything put it in a book." It has continues to be a thorn in my psyche as I promised myself that it will forever be a motivation in my life to write as many poems and books I can in my lifetime.