smells i see
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Picture
GREEN MOUNTAINS REVIEW Volume 32.2 Black Voices (2021)
eight years

not nearly enough to cleanse the stench, funk
grime and crime within the walls of an estate corrupt
not enough to baptize a new beginning or
dissolve evil embedded in historical detail

shadows of slaveholders, hustlers, con men, thieves
an occasional preacher
walk these halls, illness seeps from her pores
this residential body proclaimed the peoples house
paint her red

red for the blood of victims carried in the womb of hypocrisy
for the burden of babies bathed in a trail of tears
red for the wounds of discovery
rape of a land, hanging trees

two hundred forty four years
divided by artistic speech, broken promises
high crimes, less misdemeanors
speak her name for we will not forget
red, brown, black lives matter

keep her on your tongue, peel her from your skin
soak her in an ocean of tea tree oil
burn forests of sage into your consciousness
chant nam myoho renge kyo
for the healing to begin
​
Copyright © 2020 by F. Geoffrey Johnson   All rights reserved
Published in Green Mountains Review - Vol: 32.2 - BLACK VOICES! (2021)

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  • Home
  • Bio / CV
    • F. Geoffrey Johnson's Artist CV
    • F. Geoffrey Johnson's CV Addendum
    • Poetry Bio
    • Fine Art Bio
    • Artist Statement
  • Art Gallery
    • Confluence Exhibition New Works (2022) >
      • identity theft: erasure
      • identity theft: i.d. bracelets-no i.d.
      • mend
      • writing about trees is difficult
      • gone fishin'
      • identity theft: rice bearers (2022)
      • blanket statement
    • series: identity theft (2017-2022) >
      • identity theft: erasure (2018)
      • identity theft: i.d. bracelets-no i.d.
      • identity theft: washington
      • identity theft: jefferson
      • identity theft: johnson
      • identity theft: scars
      • identity theft: rice bearers (2021)
      • identity theft: unlocked
    • series: environment: capped >
      • seabird nest
      • wild bird food: special mix
      • disappearing B's
      • bottlenose dolphin
    • series: confined (2017-2022) >
      • confined: NOW
      • confined: requiem for katrina
      • confined: c miners
      • confined: history re-mixed
      • confined: tears
    • Otis College Residency: 2018 >
      • identity theft: erasure
      • black +
      • seabird nest
      • orange is new black
      • taglines
    • Repurposed Objects: 2013-2019 >
      • america take a knee 4 me
      • stick a fork in it, it's done!
      • chain master
      • planting seeds
      • crippling crutches
      • Lotus: Out of Focus
      • Furious Flowers: Birmingham '63
    • Re-purposed Objects: 2010-2012 >
      • Sleepless in Rwanda
      • Screwed
      • Nigeria: Soiled, Soaked & Silent
      • currents (diptych)
      • Tobacco Road
      • Sole Soldier
      • Domino Effect / Foreign Policy
      • Mapping: Between the Lines-Redlining-Bluelining
    • Visual Poetry >
      • windows
      • Furious Flowers: Birmingham '63
      • stick a fork in it, it's done!
      • confined: history re-mixed: an uncivil guide
      • crippling crutches
      • gaza math
      • Sleepless in Rwanda
    • Gallery: Abstract Paintings >
      • Elements
      • Giants of Jazz
      • Green Mountain
      • Liberty
      • Shadows
    • Gallery: Representational Paintings 2008-2010 >
      • Furious Flowers
      • Freedom's Call
      • The Gathering
      • Marooned
      • Unspoken
    • Gallery: Representational Paintings 2006-2007 >
      • A Cry for Peace
      • Contemplation
      • Chains
      • Crossroads
      • Spirit Dancer
      • Hope
      • Tanzanian Waterfall
      • Quiet Storm
    • Furniture >
      • Redwood Clocks >
        • "Aladdin Lamp" Redwood Burl Clock
        • "Buffalo" Redwood Burl Clock
        • "Firebird" Redwood Burl Clock
        • "Fire" Pendulum Clock
        • "Pterodactyl" Pendulum Clock
      • Redwood Tables
  • Poetry Gallery
    • eight years
    • a note to hip hop
    • gaza math
    • word
    • Hate the Game
    • Outside the Box
    • Art of War
    • Changing Times
    • Missing Pictures
    • Extinction
    • i know Haiti
    • who am i
    • words for sale
    • A Conversation in Poem
  • Residencies
    • Otis College of Art and Design L. A. Summer Residency 2018 (video) >
      • identity theft: erasure
      • black +
      • seabird nest
      • orange is new black
      • taglines
      • @ Work L. A. Summer Residency 2018
    • Caversham >
      • About Residency
      • Residency Video (2009)
      • A Conversation in Poem
  • Books
  • Fine Art Reproductions
    • History Re-Mixed
    • Hate the Game
  • Original Art Purchase
  • News / Events
    • Current/Future/Past Events
  • Photo Gallery
  • MY LIBRARY: Art Reviews, Books, Catalogues, Pamphlets, Ephemera
    • Elevate: Art Above Underground
    • The Dream Continues...
    • A Long Time Comin'...
    • 9.5 Theses on Art & Class
  • Contact
  • Browser Instructions