Etheridge Knight | "Poems From Prison"
In this week's episode, we discuss Etheridge Knight and his life and works. Knight was an African-American poet who made his name in 1968 with his debut volume, Poems from Prison. With roots in the Civil Rights Movement, Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam, and the Black Power Movement, Etheridge Knight and other American artists within the movement sought to create politically engaged work that explored the African-American cultural and historical experience.
Excerpt from "Belly Song (for the Daytop Family)"
And I and I / must admit
that the sea in you
\xa0has sung / to the sea / in me
and I and I / must admit
that the sea in me
\xa0has fallen / in love
\xa0with the sea in you
because you have made something
out of the sea
\xa0that nearly swallowed you
And this poem
This poem
This poem / I give / to you.
This poem is a song / I sing / I sing / to you
from the bottom
\xa0of the sea
\xa0in my belly
This poem
This poem
This poem / is a song / about FEELINGS
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