Claudia Rankine’s award-winning poetry collection “Citizen: An American Lyric” is a powerful exploration of racism and everyday microaggressions in the United States.
Some key details about the book was published, it blends poetry, essay, and visual images to address issues of race and racism.
The book won numerous prestigious awards, including the $100,000 Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry from the Library of Congress years later.
It was a finalist for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award, and won the PEN Open Book Award.
The poems in “Citizen” address both historical and contemporary forms of racism, from the treatment of Serena Williams at a tennis match to the killing of Trayvon Martin.
Rankine uses the second-person “you” throughout the book, drawing the reader into the experiences of being a person of color in America.
The book’s innovative format, combining text with images, has been praised for its ability to powerfully convey the lived experience of racism.
“Citizen” was widely acclaimed as one of the most important poetry collections , sparking important conversations about race in America.
Click the link below to learn more about the poetry writer.
http://www.ClaudiaRankines.com
Love and Peace:
Long days with heavy heart,
Hoping for love and Peace,
Where laughter fades and silence starts,
Where hope once danced, now sorrow lies.
Your words, like darts, they twist and turn,
A love that is beautiful, but not comforting ,
Each glance a dagger, each bad behavior a pain,
In the heart of joy, my sown only lives .
I stood beside you, through thick and thin,
But the weight of your darkness pulls me away,
A storm brewing, a silent cry,
I seek the light, you cling to darkness.
With every heartbeat, I feel the strain to stay with you,
A flicker of light, a yearning for happiness.
So I gather my courage, I gather my dreams,
I’ll break my silence,
For my mind is a sanctuary, a sacred space,
And I’ll walk away, with a steady pace.
No more headaches, No more crying , No more anguish,
I’ll rise from the ashes, I’ll dance in the rain,
For my life is too precious to dwell in despair,
I’ll cherish the moments, the love that was there.
So here’s my farewell, a whisper, a kiss goodbye,
I’ll carry my heart, I’ll learn how to fly,
In my mind of hope, I’ll plant my own positive seeds,
And nurture my mind, body and spirit, for that is my Love Peace.
By Author Bernadine Feagins
Philly News 