Mill Valley School District



“On the Question of Race”by Michelle BanksThey ask me to write down my raceand I think and think very seriouslyand consider writing down the truthand have my answer readI have another womanwho looks like me.She comes to me when I am dreaming,she is trying to teach me the wordsto a language that I used to know.I have a brown manhe is painting a picturewe share a secret,it hides in the memory of a kiss.I have an old manhe is singing patting jubapassing the tradition onthrough the rhythms in hishands.I have all these voicesthat have not yet learned to speak -orishatormentsassewasancestorsa school girl in Bahiaand a young man cutting cane in Miamiinside this body.I have all these rhythmsthese languagesthese songsThey ask me to write down my raceand I thinkvery seriouslyand consider writing down the truthand have my answer readI have my aunt josephinemy uncle jamesand my grandfathers poetryinside this bodyI have doubledutchmiss mary matand king of the mountain inside this bodyI have rare essencesarah vaughntonya la negraand a yaqui deer songinside this bodyI have the shrimp boatflorida avenue bar and grilland do?a ezusenainside this bodyI have eastgatesimple cityspotsylvania county, vaorangeburg, sccentral squareand old pascua villageinside this bodyI have my grandmotherslaughterinside this bodyBut I stopAnd simply write downBlack Use the form of Michelle Banks’ poem to inspire your own poem. You may follow Banks’ form closely, but you are also FREE to make any variations you like, though, to the subject, form, repetition, opening or closing. Be creative and take risks!Open your poem with the lines:They ask me to write down my raceand I think and think very seriouslyand consider writing down the truthand have my answer readRepeat the following phrases at intervals throughout the poem:I have… …inside this bodyClose your poem with the lines:But I stop, and simply write down ….Try to include plenty of concrete imagery and sensory description in your poem!Here are some ideas of things to include in your poem:Specific foodsSmells that bring back memoriesVoices, sayings, song lyrics, or sounds from around the neighborhoodDreams or goals for the futurePlace names, neighborhoods, cities, streets, parks, or shops People: relatives, loved ones, friendsImportant memories: bar/bat mitzvah, first day of school, first raceGames you played as a child—tee-ball, hopscotch, jump rope, etc. ................
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