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“‘Pages 1–4,’ an excerpt from The Ferguson Report: An Erasure”

Nicole Sealey

Pages 1-4

Nicole Sealey is the author of Ordinary Beast (Ecco Press, 2017). She is the Executive Director at the Cave Canem Foundation, and lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Themes

About this Poem

“This poem is lifted from the Department of Justice’s 2015 report, which details bias policing and court practices in Ferguson, Missouri. While the official document serves as backdrop, a reminder of the context in which we live, the erasure is a lyric lamentation on police brutality. I began erasing The Ferguson Report in 2017, three years after the murder of Michael Brown by Ferguson police and three years prior to the murder of Breonna Taylor by Louisville police. Here's hoping that one day soon this work, the entire erasure project, will become obsolete.”

—Nicole Sealey

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Clue

“Hands down, mustard
is the tastiest condiment,” coughed Professor Plum—
his full mouth feigning hunger for the greens-
only sandwiches Mrs. White
laid out for Mr. Boddy’s guests. Miss Scarlet
hadn’t time to peel off her peacoat

Nicole Sealey

2017

Poems

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“‘Pages 1–4,’ an excerpt from The Ferguson Report: An Erasure”

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