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Miriam T. and Jude M. Pfister Poetry Prize

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American Song for Peaceful Black Existence

by Maliyah Harris

 

 

Probably the 400-year illiterate Didn’t know to pass down peaceful Black Existence Like the stars didn’t know to pass down the Drinking gourd Or Toni Morrison didn’t know the white gaze. Probably the 400-year illiterate Couldn’t know peaceful Black existence realistically. What’s peace to God-troubled water? Probably Mom, Dad, Dick and Jane live in a green and White house. Probably the perhaps-half-literate will catch Great-grand misery inevitably. Maybe Peace is allergic to Black existence.  Probably the drinking gourd spilled the peaceful Black  Existence before it reached the green and white house.

 

 

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