Of my end: badge, bullet, post, gas, rope, opinion. You run around scared of the idea of me, i run awayįrom your actual you with your actual instruments My adopted twin, we’ve been at it for years In “white niggas,” the poet acknowledges centuries of conflict and devastation, yet they end on a note of openness that is unexpected, and deeply felt, long after the echoes of its final words: There’s no lack of vigor or determination in these pieces from a writer known for energetic poems and performances, but also present are many moments of quiet power and hope. & the uncle who offers him water & the drag queen who begins to hum
& the boy crying on the train & the sudden abuela who rubs his back Moreover, the poem envisions a world of plenty and generosity beyond what we know now, even beyond what the founding fathers promised, in which the narrator’s mama’s “brown hands” are “breaking brown bread over / the mouths of the hungry until there are none unfed.” The list expands, the ampersands explode, until one imagines the named and unnamed as a national chorale with notes that all voices can reach: The collection starts with the paean “my president” setting forth the narrator’s intentions of who and what they endorse, ranging from friends and family members to well-known figures.
Though we all have a seat at this bounteous table of linguistic riches, Smith makes certain we realize the importance of acknowledging the past and understand that it may not be our table.
This book was titled homie because i don’t want non-black people to say my nig out loud.įrom the outset we’re aware of the power of language, the codes we employ, the subtleties of who can say what. Yet before we start reading these striking and mighty poems, Smith lets us know the stakes-and their boundaries-with this “note on the title”: Smith is skilled in connecting complicated emotions to create a finely woven tapestry that is above all else true and emotionally honest. Of the great pleasures of Danez Smith’s third collection, Homie (Graywolf Press, January 2020), are the many moments of wistful intimacies in quotidian experiences that are intertwined with their dynamic oratorical style.
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