Lists!

I can't even begin to say what an insane couple of weeks it has been at my new job. I never intended to come to work under gunfire and secret leases. Whoa boy. More to come later on that front.

For now, a little repartee from Oscar and I on our influences. I liked his list. Let's see how mine stacks up:

Books of Poetry that Have Influenced My Poetry (in no particular order)
1. Aloud: Voices from the Nuyorican Poets Café, Miguel Algarín and Bob Holman, eds.
2. School of the Arts, Mark Doty
3. Collected Poems, Elizabeth Bishop
4. Book of My Nights, Li-Young Lee
5. Imagine the Angels of Bread, Martin Espada
6. E.E. Cummings: Complete Poems 1904-1962, George J. Firmage, ed.
7. The Collected Poems of Audre Lorde, Audre Lorde
8. Smoking Lovely, Willie Perdomo
9. 51st Dream State (Theater Production), poetry by Sekou Sundiata
10. Pleasure Dome and Theives of Paradise, Yusef Komunyakaa
11. Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman

To Understand My Writing, Understand These Books (in no particular order)
1. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz
2. Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris
3. Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed The World, Margaret MacMillan and Richard Holbrooke
4. Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire, Chalmers Johnson
5. Miles: An Autobiography, Miles Davis and Quincy Troupe
6. Collected Poems of Langston Hughes, Arnold Rampersad, ed.
7. Puerto Rican Obituary, Pedro Pietri
8. Animal Farm, George Orwell
9. Some of Us Did Not Die, June Jordan
10. Song of the Simple Truth: The Complete Poems of Julia de Burgos, Jack Agueros, ed.


To Further Understand My Writing, Get Your Hands On These Recordings
1. "Aguanile," "Que Bien Te Ves," "Periodico de Ayer,"and "El Cantante,"
Hector Lavoe (any example from Fania Records)
2. "Folk Forms No. 1," from Mingus on Mingus
3. "Blue in Green," from Kind of Blue, Miles Davis
4. "Corcovado," Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto
5. "Holla If Ya Hear Me," Tupac Shakur
6. "Acid," Ray Barretto

Is this what it was like when Kennedy was President?

Close, but I have to think that we witnessed last night was one-of-a-kind, unique to THIS generation, and therefore the kind of transformative moment in American politics that even the most cynical among us have been waiting for.

Consider this:

A Black man running for President has won Virginia, and as of this writing is still competitive in North Carolina. The Deep South of our worst nightmares, folks, is on its way out.

A Democrat promising to ease the Cuban embargo won Florida. And there's a Democratic Congress now. I think I can safely say that before too long, I can finally get my ass back to Cuba and see my family without being labeled a criminal. I hope they end that silly embargo shit once and for all, but that's just me.

He quoted Sam Cooke. Yes, that gets points.

In his speech, he took us on journey of American history through the eyes of a Black woman.

He also told us that our strength does not lie in the size of our military or the power of our economy. Let's hope that the new President realizes that America is also the country that has launched illegal wars all over Latin America, Africa, and Asia for the last 60 years. While we're ending the war in Iraq, I think we could also use a dose of change at the CIA and the Defense Department.

AND! Yes, by good God, no more hokey, folksy, aw-shucksisms at the press conferences. Our President wrote a book BEFORE he became a candidate for President.



Eight years of George Bush have ruined what was left of the Conservative movement. Make no mistake about it, the status quo (which is, after all, what Conservatism by definition must defend) bit the dust heavily last night. The party of Lincoln now must deal with they truly weren't prepared for: liberated (and rather liberal) brown and black folk. Nice!

All this, and it's my birthday on Friday, and I'll be celebrating with a gaggle of amazing company. It's enough to make me want to call off work for Black President's Day. Alas, the recession is on, y'all. Off to the grind.

Oh, but before I go: Here's a picture of President Barack Hussein Obama (FUCK, that feels good to write) at the Robben Island Prison Museum (where they imprisoned Mandela).