the 21st century discovers the new negro

the negro is never new
he shudders at red lights impatient
tramples hymns anthems and anthologies
requires synthetic cell complex
industrial contraption to contain him
the negro is never free
his status is never quo


jacobins in 1500 were south american
in 1700 they were haitian
the negro is never french
ask hegel or any algerian

misnomers for the negro abound
“modern” is most apt
for naming the creation in perpetuity
of the fear of contamination
the negro is never pure
of meaning

the literature of voice
the captivity of freedom
the sex of death and violence of love
the martial dance of every man in every woman
the negro is never woman

for deep communion with a god who hates him
the negro alone has seen the promise land
thus the negro is never
under
any
impression
what
so
ever

the negro’s improbability--
what the twentieth century called “improvisation”--
cannot be digitized
the negro is not innocent until proven
the negro would be art
were art more discerning
the negro is not interrupted
he simply takes a long time to swallow

the negro does not change the world
when he is president
the world changes itself before the unflappable negro
who
ever on his hustle
leaves the building
(the negro’s gon get right back though)

the negro most likely
got another negro to build those pyramids
while he busied inventing hip-hop
all the negro’s ever been
sea cotton sugar or steel
is a man
the negro is a legend in disbelief

i worry history

can't settle this fight any more than a bridge can forget its shores

destined nations are always compromised in their original promiscuity

it should be totally fine to say mulata in the twenty-first century

nigga however, is a twentieth century hurricane

we have grooved maps of feeling exhausted

circumnavigating our barbed wire brains

but forget it

have another drink dance one other time

just because the first end was prematurely announced doesn't mean history never dies

legitimacy does not worry history

i worry history