Saturday, October 11, 2014

October 11, 2014 The Sunday Whirl/Little Ladies Keep Your Head Down -- Work Hard -- Don't Ask For a Raise -- and Beautiful Young Black Men

Little Ladies Keep Your Head Down—Work Hard—Don’t Ask For a Raise


dig deep                                                                      what’s on your mind

Halloween is                                                              the next holiday
goose bumps on my flesh

on the news                                             equal pay called a gimmick
                                                                                          by the GOP

                                    mostly fat white guys in suits

perhaps the idea of equal pay                                           a hypnotizing tease

head of microsoft                                                    while speaking to a women’s conference

                                                      let Karma give women a raise

uniform response                                                                     not good

he is supposed to be the guy                                           with the brains

________________________________________________________________


Beautiful Young Black Men

what do they have to look forward to                            no jobs                    nowhere to go

                                    do not pass GO
                                                                                                            go straight to jail

hang on the                                             street
                                                                                      play pool

Sell a little                     get by                                       drink liquor           
                                                                                                           

no where to go                                                                           stick a needle in the flesh

your son and mine                               ring a chicken by the neck

it’s a part of the machine                                     close the schools
                                                                                          build prisons

            we real cool                                                                Gwendolyn Brooks tells us

we got brains                but no trains

it is torture                                            to be born                   beautiful young and black

                                                                           we die soon





October 11, 2014





Note:  Yes, I think women and minorities are tired of this old song.  









12 comments:

annell4 said...

I am tried of police killing our children, and women beging paid less than men for the same work!

seasideauthor said...

Me too! This history has so lasted too long! Patriarchal hegemony has to end somewhere. Maybe women should be in charge world wide. At least we value life and quality of life. And peace! Love this style and organization of your write. Each verse is co dependent but independent.

Sally Tharpe Rowles said...

I agree!

Sherry Blue Sky said...

A fantastic write. Great topics. The second is especially poignant. "It is torture to be born young beautiful and black / we die soon". Intriguing layout, Annell. It really lends movement to the poem.

Jae Rose said...

A powerful piece Annell...the form of it seemed like a pattern...like one of your paintings..and in a way the life of not being allowed 'in' does follow a scatter pattern that you can't see until you are outside or gone ..sadly

Dr. Pearl Ketover Prilik (PKP) said...

The scattered words on the page - although at first glance distracting actually focus in as images flashing through the mind - and vivid images they are in a powerful piece

Magical Mystical Teacher said...

Someday, we hope, there will be no more need for the song. Until then, the singing of it is necessary. We dare not forget. (I like all the space in these poems. It give me room to move around in.)

Whirling with Alberto

Unknown said...

Unusual. I found the patterns of words actually as punctuation. Nice.

humbird said...

Love your style, Annell...and talking about TV news....I donated my TV.....but good of you to support the women and minorities, I'm with you! xx

Cathy said...

Ah but Karma will get that guy back, in the next life - he will be woman. The second poem is just heartbreaking.

flaubert said...

Annell, I love how you wrote this. It reads perfectly and the second one is my favourite. Also, thanks for the heads up on Stanley Kunitz. Hugs to you.

Pamela ox

Anonymous said...

You remind me that the Women's Movement was a direct result of the Civil Rights Movement. Love your form...it moves and the mind moves with it. Gwendolyn Brooks spoke for so many of us.

Elizabeth

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