The Poetry Project

Three Poems

David Henderson

Michael Ferguson Brown: the new place we are

The Emmet Till equation in effect down through time
Used to be the accusation had to be whistling at a white woman, now the deadly
provocation can simply be a Black boy walking down the street.

Ferguson Michael — the new place we are, the foundation continuum of a
Trayvon, or even Rodney King, for heaven’s sake, who would drown in L. A. in the
private pool his ritual torture awarded him.

The Emmet Till equation can transpose a white woman into a white cop or a cop
of color into a cop uniform that makes them by definition another order of being.

Abuse by a Black boy

Response — extreme prejudice

That a cop, a policeman, would be indicted for the murder of a black person?
—precedents waiting to happen.

Looking at some of this Ferguson, Missouri grand jury stuff, the contradictions are hidden in the newspaper reports, that is, hidden in plain sight, as they were to those in attendance, as they must be to pass muster. But upon obvious discovery they are deadly — there are skulls and crossbones at the entrance of these postings as warnings of danger — not to venture too far within the data.

Police state prosecutor

Prosecutor in a police state

Prosecution in a police state

Execution prosecutions

Execution by profile under martial law

When and where there is no law

No law

No law

No law
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We are lawless
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Lawless
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No law

No law

No law
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Corporate government anarchy

The nonsense lawless judgments of the fascist state
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No proxies

No symbolism

No picnics and souvenirs

In the campgrounds of the ritual slayings
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Lynch law law less
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Lynch not
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Lynch not
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Lynch cove

Lynchberg

Lynchville
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Lynch city USA
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Lynchburgers

Lynch town

Lynchniggerville

Lynchburgers in uniform or profile
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Lynch utopia
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Sir William Lynch (1742 – 1820) of Pittsylvania, Virginia —— self-instituted lynching tribunals 1805 to 1815

Sir Lynch, considered expert in deterrents to insurrections against slavery prior to the ultimate torture leading to post ultimate immolation from tree or pyre the strategy during peace was the fostering of conflict by any means possible or necessary: young against old, light skinned against dark, women against men – divide to further conquer and save the necessary loss (by lynching) of valuable property. Although a small profit could be made from the lynchings by organizing them around municipal picnics and the selling of souvenirs of the event — but that profit was only a one time thing – small consolation for life times of labor.
x
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Another larger consolation for the ghost of Sir Lynch:

institute those lynch principles into the future

Into the common law of the police and prosecutors

so their administrations of justice

are at their sole discretion

and indicate the state without

souls within

Harvey Mohre Stark

xxxxxxxcontemplation

First glance / at the being from which one has emerged

xxxxxxxWhat is awe?

Uncle (Uncle) Kingfish

Kingfish, my Kingfish, Uncle Kingfish, in the darkness of the country barroom. In the high light of early afternoon, dim in the interior contrast except for the white apron and slight smile around his perpetual cigar. Brown face lost in shadow, dark pants fading in the black, the white apron an apparition, a ghost of service, soda and potato chips, a swab of white cloth across the hardwood hull of the bar that was indeed at sea for the voyage of that day into night, to end in the death of dawn. Beer chasers after the Tanqueray argument, the jukebox so loud the room bouncing, as the screeching tires of a 425 horsepower Roadmaster burn rubber down Main Street. Blue smoke uniting, drifting, rambling on. Let the good times roll for the Sixty Minute Man, for the lovers who were too young, for Afro Mona Lisa laughing all up in your face.

Issue 11

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