Reading at St. Mark's Church via The Poetry Project, April 22, 2015
Review Written and Edited by Peter Buller
Few poets of today stand out like Amiri Baraka. His poetry dances between resentment of white imperialism to joy of the small things in life. "Note to Sylvia Robertson" inquires what beauty might be, ending with the profound remark that, "without each other we wouldn't know each other," while "The Bridge" comments on how the day screams, that his kindred were, "murdered by God/ that's why it's stupid to believe in him." In the same way Aimé Césaire grapples with rage and love, Baraka finds in his poetry a space where one's love and hatred of oppression may coexist; yet where Césaire embraces surrealist imagery to illustrate his emotions, Baraka utilizes blunt, political commentary. Given the polarizing, sometimes offensive nature of his politics, it is difficult to imagine how one might present his work without his unique voice. The Poetry Project proved otherwise, after a passionate reading of Baraka's biggest collection of poetry, S.O.S. Poems 1961-2013 (Grove Press).
The reading featured a variety of readers from a variety of backgrounds and relations. Some readers were former colleagues and friends, such as Basil King and David Henderson. Both King and Henderson knew and spoke with Baraka throughout his life. To them, Baraka's work resembled not just that of an exemplary poet, but a close friend too. Thus, their reading of his poetry offers new context, especially as to how "without each other, we'd look over our shoulders for each other." Although this line comes from a poem addressed to Baraka's wife, Henderson's reading unfolds another thread of the poet's complex feelings on love. Other readers like Simone White and Rickey Laurentiis found voices of their own in Baraka's writing, which White described for herself as an "impossible to resolve tension between love and hate of the world." Maybe "Tone Poem" is right to point out how "the general good has no troops nor armour." Despite the unshieldedness of his glee, "a host of loves is the city." No amount of pessimism shall desecrate one's loves.
Baraka's work reflects the many different aspects of his complex attitude to life. Some preach of how "my poems are dedicated to destroying ugly shit," resenting that "Ronald Reagan [gets] away." While others lament the tragedy befallen upon African-American citizens, noting "all those eyes opened for mourning." Baraka's complex and unresolved struggle between love and hatred fosters an ambiguous dedication to voicing his and his people's hardships. While his passing may rob us of his voice, the readers at The Poetry Project proved that his passion and political commitment carry on, in both his friends and future generations.
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