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The Tradition

Jericho Brown on

Published in Poem Of The Day

Aster. Nasturtium. Delphinium. We thought
Fingers in dirt meant it was our dirt, learning
Names in heat, in elements classical
Philosophers said could change us. Star Gazer.
Foxglove. Summer seemed to bloom against the will
Of the sun, which news reports claimed flamed hotter
On this planet than when our dead fathers
Wiped sweat from their necks. Cosmos. Baby's Breath.
Men like me and my brothers filmed what we
Planted for proof we existed before
Too late, sped the video to see blossoms
Brought in seconds, colors you expect in poems
Where the world ends, everything cut down.
John Crawford. Eric Garner. Mike Brown.



About this poem
"The poet's relationship to language and form is an addiction where what's past is present, a video on loop. Not watching won't make what that video says about our future go away."
-Jericho Brown

About Jericho Brown
Jericho Brown is the author of "The New Testament" (Copper Canyon Press, 2014). He is an associate professor at Emory University in Atlanta.

***
The Academy of American Poets is a nonprofit, mission-driven organization, whose aim is to make poetry available to a wider audience. Email The Academy at poem-a-day[at]poets.org.


(c) 2015 Jericho Brown. Originally published by the Academy of American Poets, www.poets.org. Distributed by King Features Syndicate



 


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