ntozake shange
i looked you up
among the poets at barnes & noble
but i didn’t find you

walt was there amidst leaves of grass
anne gazed down
her glazed eyes dreamt of rowing mercy
erica posed in her latest erotica
even rod took much space
i searched among ghosts
& those alive
still
i couldn’t find you

i asked the clerk
if he had kept you tied down in boxes
or does he use your books as dart boards
he smirked then shouted “she’s in the black section
in the back”
even literature has its ghettos

stacked amongst langston, nikki, & countee
maya who looked mad
the blues had her bad
zake tell me
did you demand to be segregated
“does color modify poetry”
i asked the manager

he patted me on my head
whispered
“it’s always been this way”

- Assotto Saint
“The Geography of Poetry”




“Does Color Modify Poetry?”

1 - Ibrahim Ferrer — Buenos Hermanos
2 - Kokoroko — Colonial Mentality
3 - War — City, Country, City

Station Break

4 - Grover Washington, Jr — A Secret Place
5 - Cymande — Dove
6 - Funkadelic — I’ll Stay
7 - Daft Punk - Something About Us