by Rev. Reynard Blake, Jr.
“I may not kill but I am armed to deconstruct bullshit.”
I am Micah
by Rev. Reynard Blake, Jr.
I may not have killed Dallas Police officers
But there’s a Micah X. Johnson in me
I have rage
A “Bigger Thomas” rage
A John Brown rage
A Malcolm X rage
I want to eliminate abominations
White supremacy
Black hopelessness
Sometimes I want to speak in the only language the white man seems to understand
VIOLENCE
Isn’t that why the NRA exists?
Express yourself with bullets?
There’s a Micah X. Johnson in me
He armed himself to the teeth
Bomb-making materials, vests, rifles and ammo
I arm myself—nonviolently
I read
From Cone to Cornel to Coates to Dyson to DuBois
From hooks to Hurston to Malveaux to Morrison
From Black Enterprise to Boyce Watkins to Black Agenda Report
And on, and on, and on
I listen to countless thinkers
I may not kill but I am armed to deconstruct bullshit
Like when Guliani or anyone in the GOP denigrates Black Lives Matter
From Blue Pill/Red Pill to Carnell to Griff to Black Dot to ZaZa to Tariq Nasheed
I sharpen my mind
I may not kill but I am armed to deconstruct bullshit
Like when Guliani or anyone in the GOP denigrates Black Lives Matter
Like when black people blindly support Hillary Clinton even after her “Super predator” comment
Yes, there’s a Micah X. Johnson in me
Angry
However, I disagree with his methodology to address white supremacy
Killing solves little
Nevertheless, I understand the rage that makes one pick up a gun
But, picking up a gun is easy
Too easy in America
And, that’s the problem
Reverend Reynard N. Blake, Jr., M. S. is an ordained Baptist minister living in East Lansing, Michigan with his wife Karen Kelly-Blake, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences at Michigan State University (MSU). He earned his Master of Science degree in Community Development-Urban Studies from MSU and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the College of Charleston (SC). He has authored and co-authored several articles on faith-based community development and is also a poet, essayist, and social critic. His work has appeared on Black Commentator, Michigan Family Review, Op-ED.com, the Online Journal of Urban Youth Culture and Black Agenda Report. He is putting on the final touches on a book of political parody and poetry; no publisher yet. He would appreciate any input on where and how he can get it published. He can be reached atreynardblakejr@yahoo.com.
In this series, we ask acclaimed authors to answer five questions about their book. This week’s featured author is Oliver Baker. Baker is Assistant Professor of English and African American Studies…
"No kings and things (Of mobilized masses)" is the latest from BAR's Poet-in-Residence.
A recent report prepared by Garb Yaakov, a Professor at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, and published on The President & Fellows of Harvard College Dataverse website, has…
The Caribbean has become an emerging battleground in the U.S.-China rivalry, as regional states strategically navigate between the demands of superpowers and their own development needs.
Ghana endorsed Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara, abandoning its long-held support for Sahrawi sovereignty. Now Ghana is aligned with Morocco’s expanding economic and diplomatic maneuver…
