Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire

Poetry from Kemet Mawakana
Kemet Mawakana
27 Feb 2008
🖨️ Print Article

7_foot_poet_upright_250wideaka "The Seven-Foot Poet"

 

"FARE" 

 

Our resident poet contemplates the "Fare" that Black folks are required to pay. When you read and hear this week's offering from Kemit Mawakana, you'll get his meaning.

To experience the written or audio versions of FARE, click the link below. 

 

 

 

Poetry from Kemit Mawakana

aka "The Seven-Foot Poet"

To listen to FARE, click the flash player below
{mp3}poetry/072Fare{/mp3} 

Fare

1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . . 14  . . . 15 . . . 16

A pariah!

Leprosy radiates my skin;

serving as a warning to natives and foreigners alike.

17 . . . 18 . . . 19 . . . 21 . . . 22 . . . 23

Death unto those that dare acknowledge my presence!

My invisibility clear to all who would dare look with a naked eye.

24 . . . 25 . . . 26 . . . 37 . . . 38 . . . 39

Hate, anger and vengeance swell up within,

breaking fences of common sense.

None of them - not one of them - None of them are bound by decency!

41 . . . 42 . . . 47 . . . 48 . . . 49

They hate the fact that me they only loathe and not despise.

They anxiously accelerate to save a business suit from my pursuit,

And the unspeakable acts that I perpetrate.

. . . 51.

Exhausted.  I'm home, no longer mad.

Clearly it's not fair - that I was passed up by 51 taxicabs.

 
Copyright 1996
 
Peace (when appropriate) War (when necessary)

Kemit Mawakana (aka "The Seven-Foot Poet") is a highly acclaimed spoken-word artist, and has published two books A . . . Z . . . Infinity and Crucifixion of My Soul.  The collective body of his works presented weekly in BAR are in tribute to Listervelt Middleton, Dr. John Henrik Clarke, and "For The People."  Currently, he is a facilitator at AYA Educational Institute (www.ayaed.com) and can be reached at sevenfootpoet@gmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

.

 

Do you need and appreciate Black Agenda Report articles? Please click on the DONATE icon, and help us out, if you can.


More Stories


  • Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    New York Times Attacks “Peace-peddling” Jill Stein as the Presidential Race Comes Down to the Wire
    23 Oct 2024
    The New York Times scapegoats Green Party presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein as polls indicate a dead heat between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
  • Abayomi Azikiwe, Black Agenda Report Contributor
    United Nations Releases New Report on the Death of Former Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold in 1961
    23 Oct 2024
    Apparent assassination and cover-up occurred during a critical period in African history.
  • Jon Jeter
    John Mearsheimer’s Folly: How Whites Agree to Misinterpret the World to Fulfill Their Racial Contract
    23 Oct 2024
    Systemic racism and reactionary violence are embedded into the foundation of the US political and social system, despite false claims of any sort of progress. Denying this reality is an act of mere…
  • Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team
    MOLEGHAF: Update on Armed Attacks in Port-au-Prince
    23 Oct 2024
    Western imperialist-backed paramilitary violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti has escalated in the last year. As the conditions on the ground worsen, MOLEGHAF puts out this call to allies around the…
  • Jonathan Cook
    The West's Support for Israel's Genocide is Destroying the World as we Know it
    23 Oct 2024
    The old world is dying once again, but the US-Israel axis is wrong to suggest it is slaying monsters. It is the monster.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us