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"All I want to know
for my own protection
is are we capable
of whatever
whenever."
for my own protection
is are we capable
of whatever
whenever."
Essex Hemphill "For My Own Protection"
Black Love Oracle Day #3: Power #whateverwhenever #blacklivesmatter from Alexis Pauline Gumbs on Vimeo.
The #whateverwhenever oracle is Eternal Summer of the Black Feminist Mind's offering to the #blacklivesmatter ride, a national movement in solidarity with young black people in Ferguson, Missouri with a vision towards a just society within which black life is cherished. Today's poem is Audre Lorde's 1973 poem "Power" which she wrote about her nightmares and outrage over the police murder of ten year old Clifford Glover. I offer it today because y/our presence in Ferguson reminds me what power actually means.
To activate the oracle, choose a letter of the alphabet (your initials? the initials of a loved one? a letter that is speaking to you..) and read the poem for that letter aloud to yourself. If you happen to choose a letter that has no words in the original poem you get to make your own poem using only words that begin with that letter of the alphabet.
A
and
am
and
a
and
and
at
as
am
and
a
a
and
a
and
at
and
approval
and
a
and
as
and
as
an
and
and
an
and
as
and
a
a
are
B
between
being
black
blood
blood
bleach
bones
boy
blood
by
been
Black
Black
been
but
between
beat
bed
beasts
C
children
child
cheeks
churns
cop
childish
color
convinced
coals
centuries
cement
children
corrupt
connect
chorus
D
difference
desert
dead
dragging
dry
desert
destruction
dying
down
die
defense
didn’t
done
dragged
destruction
difference
day
E
edge
else
eleven
ever
85
F
face
for
for
forcing
free
4’10”
frame
four
first
for
G
gunshot
go
graveyard
greek
H
his
his
his
hatred
heal
his
his
his
had
had
her
hot
had
her
have
her
her
hurt
I
is
instead
I
is
imagined
into
it
into
I
imagery
in
in
it
in
I
I
I
I
it
is
I
in
J
justice
K
kill
kisses
L
liquid
lips
loyalty
lost
little
let
lined
learn
lie
limp
M
my
miles
my
my
mouth
magic
make
my
motherfucker
man
men
me
meaning
male
make
me
my
mold
my
mother
N
notice
nor
nothing
not
nearest
O
of
on
of
off
of
only
or
of
if
ir
out
of
only
old
over
own
only
old
of
one
over
of
of
our
or
one
old
P
power
poetry
punctured
power
policeman
prove
prove
police
power
poetry
power
poisonous
plug
poor
Q
quicker
Queens
R
rhetoric
ready
raw
reason
real
rhetoric
run
raping
S
shattered
shoulders
stomach
splits
sinks
son
sun
shot
stood
shoes
said
size
set
said
satisfied
said
she
she
socket
somebody’s
senseless
set
singing
she
T
the
to
trapped
the
the
the
taste
thirsting
the
the
the
trying
to
trying
to
the
ten
the
there
tapes
to
trial
this
the
the
there
tapes
that
too
today
that
37
13
they
they
they
the
the
to
to
touch
to
the
too
take
teenaged
to
the
torch
to
thing
they
U
until
unless
useless
unconnected
V
voice
W
wounds
while
without
wetness
whiteness
where
without
with
will
who
with
white
with
was
white
who
were
Woman
who
white
womb
with
within
will
will
who
will
what
X
Y
yourself
your
year
year
years
Z
