[we are]

we are
prayer in the long boat

                                               a rhizomatic scream
                                               surrounded by the dark dagger
                                                                        of the ocean

                         scripture
                         in its entirety
                         is anticipation of the lilt
                                                   and yet

there is no word
for the rhythm
             we endure
             across this dirtless moment

                                                    antibird, we sing like birds
                                                    textured and untrained

             rugged the love
             that claps
in the chasm of our black palms

Credit

Copyright © 2019 by Quenton Baker. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on August 28, 2019, by the Academy of American Poets.

About this Poem

“This poem is part of a commissioned series on homage. I chose this (tense-shifted) Nathaniel Mackey line, from ‘Anouman Sandrofia’ in Nod House (New Directions, 2011), because I am deeply indebted to not only his ability to create a new English, but also his attention to the weight and sonic composition of the line. His work is among the work of many phenomenal poets which have made and continue to make my own work possible.”
—Quenton Baker