of metallic hydrogen, amethyst
or anemone, turtle shells beside
an empty bed, or broken diadems.

A colored woman cannot sing
of Hassidim, the salt-rimed stones of Antioch,
how the Aegean tastes of sperm, and a sturgeon
squeezes black garnets from its rectum.

A colored woman cannot sing of I-beams
or derailleurs, the impact of microwaves
on Southern dialect, Froebel blocks,
or the smell of milk on your mother's nipple.

A colored woman cannot sing of tangerine
juice spilling on the ankle of a white girl,
tangerine mist on a white ankle. A colored

woman cannot sing of standing stones,
why dark matter in the galactic halo must
by nonbaryonic, or even hum The Marseillaise.

A colored woman cannot sing
of pilgrims casting garlands into the Ganges,
one hundred red spiders dancing on a gray web,
or Nanjing and seven heads bobbing in a greasy pool.

A colored woman cannot sing
of minuets and manatees, the flutter of moths
on an infant's tongue, nutmegs and milagros,
or black tulips buried in a field of snow.
READ ABOUT TODAY'S POEM
Share Share
Tweet Tweet
Forward Forward
Head shot of Nick Ripatrazone

Eight notable collections you want on your nightstand this month, including work by a lost Catalan master and the latest from the United States' newest poet laureate, Joy Harjo.

via THE MILLIONS
READ ALL TODAY'S HEADLINES
Cover for Zong!

“As the excerpt from 'Ferrum' begins, the desire to read is baffled. What is all our f? What is ht fad? The pages offer no visual clues, no eye-rhythms for mind to follow, but the eye goes to work, gradually witnessing an emergence of image and narrative from chaos. We can rewrite the text, if we need to; it’s there to be found: and their fall our fall it was a bull market for guineas and for guinea negroes a bet in hope night fades to day day to night her dugs hang sacks of dry fear. What would we lose by this?"
READ THIS WEEK'S ISSUE
Poetry Daily logo
Poetry Daily Depends on You

We make reading the best contemporary poetry a treasured daily experience. Consider a contribution today.
You have received this email because you submitted your email address at www.poems.com. 
If you would like to unsubscribe please click here.

© 2019 Poetry Daily, Poetry Daily, MS 3E4, 4400 University Dr., Fairfax, VA 22030

Design by the Binding Agency