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Some Stuff About Things

Mostly here for tasks and projects, sometimes a poem or two. Maybe one day I'll turn this into a real thing... when life stops throwing me these curve balls.

19 July 2017

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August 01, 2017

I must revel in this loneliness
for I have forgotten who
I

singularly

am

- to become me

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What's in a name

October 10, 2017

The poem "The Baptism" by Ijeoma Umebinyo explores one of the persistent "leftovers" from colonialism: changing given, traditional black names to Europian names. This is and was done for various reasons. In order to be baptized a name must sound "holy" (read "white") in the eyes of the colonizers. The white colonizers and those who constructed benefited from apartheid must be able to pronounce it and they have the power to change it. A poem I found on The Kiffness' Facebook page explores this change of name from the perspective of a white person. The speaker in this poem is speaking to the woman who has worked in their home for 29 years. It seems that the speaker has finally been disillusioned to the fact that "Jane" is a false identity. "Jane" is a name that was given to Kgagamatso perhaps so that her employers would be able to communicate with her without having to make too much effort to pronounce her name. It is ...

Graduation

August 11, 2017

"Graduation" is another poem by Koleka Putuma from her anthology Collective Amnesia . This poem deals with growing up and "graduating" from life as a black, queer womxn. Putuma describes this "graduation" leaving your parents' nest. It is a statement, something that WILL happen at one point or another. Because this is framed as a factual statement, the rest can also be interpreted as stated facts. These facts of "graduating" includes realizing that traditions from the speaker's childhood do not fit her own, personal narrative, the speaker is expected to support her family financially, but it is not always possible as she is trying to build her own life. This act of contributing financially will earn her the title of "adult" in the family. But this title is false. The speaker "slips into old roles". She hides things she does not want them to see or know, perhaps her sexuality as they may not be accepting of it. Wh...

Exploring Nayyirah Waheed

September 28, 2017

I came across Nayyirah Waheed perhaps a year ago while scrolling through the explore page on Instagram. Her work immediately spoke to me. Something about her short poignant poems and how she is able to capture the essence of anything in but a few lines captured my soul and I've been intrigued ever since. The first poem I am looking at today is perhaps one of my favorite works. Ever. The poem speaks of the natural fear anxiety womxn experience when encountering men because of the violences practiced upon our bodies. When that "feminine presence" is in his eyes it is perhaps an indication that that he has unlearned (or is in the process of unlearning) toxic masculinity. It is also a relief (as the next few lines indicate) because it means that the womxn does not have to perform undue emotional and intellectual labor to make him understand but a fraction of her experience. For Waheed of course this sexism practiced upon her body is often racialized as well and the fear ...