#blacksays by Joshua Idehen
Black is tired. Black would like to make a statement: Black is tired Black’s eyes vacant, arms leaden, tongue can’t taste shit stomach cannot compress death. Black would like to state: Black is not a beast of myth, slain in a fable, recounted on a roundtable by brave, blue-collar men Black has demands: baton proof bones and bullet resistant skin Black wrote an article: 500 Years That Prove State Approved Lynchings Should Go The Way Of Dubstep and Black thinks no person that trigger eager deserves a gun much less a badge Black knows one day its hands will go up, its lips pinned but its shadow reaching for something that’s not there and that'll be enough Black says keep your 40 acres just let Black reach the end of the street just let Black reach for the last skittles sweet just let Black reach into Black’s own car let Black reach into Black’s own lungs Black doesn't want its young ones seeing fathers die on youtube Pausing halfway to keep them alive. Black says it’s always been like this Black’s seen your grin your grin is a pirate flag Black’s hands bleed from the knife edge you offered on your side of the handshake Black is angry now Black is in pain. Black's nerves are fireflies dancing with grief, a curse-word trapped in a bracket. A sentence too intense for one full stop. Black’s pain needs… Black’s sat in a room. Lights off, candles out. Nothing fair or fair skinned about Black’s pain, Oh, Black knows you commiserate, Black knows you sympathise. Black says you don’t understand, Black says you cannot compare, Black says you cant empathise, Black says this pain is too pepper, Black says you cannot digest, Black says how can you relate? When these black lips are this full and these black knees are this ashy and this black voice is this loud and these black cheeks is this round and this black skin is this proud and this black skin is this cocoa butter shiny and this black praise is dance, this black sorrow is dance this black struggle is dance this black hair is nappy and balding and weaved and balding and thick it’s so thick it’s so thick it’s so thick it’s so thick it’s So long like octopus legs stretching over skies, blotting out the sun, inking up the cotton and the cocaine And now Black's emotions are a hurricane. And now Black’s emoting from the Everest Black says black has tried everything Black has jived with both hands, breastfed your children pulled its pants up, learned to beg in your language laughed at your stupid, stupid jokes eaten your terrible rendition of jollof rice stiffened its lips, bitten its tongue to a nub, Filled the corners of your self adulation with its excellence and now Black wants to know what else can it do? Black is desperate now Black’s brought all its children to the parking lot, all its treasures to the auction block. Black says it’s willing to negotiate. Black says give Black some dignity And Black will give you twerking Black knows you love hip hop. Black will swap hip hop for a chance to live on its feet. Black says let Black have a safe space with all of its friends and fam and it’ll let you have first place in the 100 metres final. Get the Williams Sisters to quit winning for a year Black wants you to know nothing is off the table. Black would do anything for its humanity Just let black be Black says Just let black be
"#blacksays" was shortlisted for the 2020 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize for Poetry. Enter the prize here. Entries close 31 May 2021.
