Chapter One

Poems
Wedding Night
A. VAN JORDAN
John
let's strip off our words
to speak without our tongues. let's
try to tongue without
saying a word. let's turn speech
back into struggle tonight.
MacNolia
no, in the middle
of the night, afternoon, or
morning, let's pull up
our voice, our moan, yes, our song.
at 3:00 A.M. bring back words.
John
why bring words when we've
waited so long for silence?
why bring light when we've needed
to knead heat from our shadows?
when dark rooms call out our names?
MacNolia
in the shadow's heat,
in the dark's light, in the night's
promise of morning,
there's always a language born
out of the struggle to touch.
John
I don't know if I
have the words to touch the back
of your knees, the small
of your back . . . brown lines in your
palms . . . what language can frame you?
MacNolia
our language frames us
as we resemble our words.
the words we speak when
an open window carries
our new language to rooftops.


John
and here I thought I
was teaching you! now, you show
me a mirror in
which I see a stranger, how
good it is to meet me when-
MacNolia
when we are standing,
nose to nose, as my wedding
dress falls to our floor.
A  Black Wedding Song
GWENDOLYN BROOKS
First dedicated to
Charles and La Tanya,
Allen and Glenda,
Hake and Safisha
I
This love is a rich cry over
The deviltries and the death.
A -weapon-song. Keep it strong.


Keep it strong.
Keep it logic and Magic and lightning and Muscle.


Strong hand in strong hand, stride to
the Assault that is promised you (kno