Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire

Poetry from Kemet Mawakana
Kemet Mawakana
27 Feb 2008
🖨️ Print Article

7_foot_poet_upright_250wideaka "The Seven-Foot Poet"

 

"FARE" 

 

Our resident poet contemplates the "Fare" that Black folks are required to pay. When you read and hear this week's offering from Kemit Mawakana, you'll get his meaning.

To experience the written or audio versions of FARE, click the link below. 

 

 

 

Poetry from Kemit Mawakana

aka "The Seven-Foot Poet"

To listen to FARE, click the flash player below
{mp3}poetry/072Fare{/mp3} 

Fare

1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . . 14  . . . 15 . . . 16

A pariah!

Leprosy radiates my skin;

serving as a warning to natives and foreigners alike.

17 . . . 18 . . . 19 . . . 21 . . . 22 . . . 23

Death unto those that dare acknowledge my presence!

My invisibility clear to all who would dare look with a naked eye.

24 . . . 25 . . . 26 . . . 37 . . . 38 . . . 39

Hate, anger and vengeance swell up within,

breaking fences of common sense.

None of them - not one of them - None of them are bound by decency!

41 . . . 42 . . . 47 . . . 48 . . . 49

They hate the fact that me they only loathe and not despise.

They anxiously accelerate to save a business suit from my pursuit,

And the unspeakable acts that I perpetrate.

. . . 51.

Exhausted.  I'm home, no longer mad.

Clearly it's not fair - that I was passed up by 51 taxicabs.

 
Copyright 1996
 
Peace (when appropriate) War (when necessary)

Kemit Mawakana (aka "The Seven-Foot Poet") is a highly acclaimed spoken-word artist, and has published two books A . . . Z . . . Infinity and Crucifixion of My Soul.  The collective body of his works presented weekly in BAR are in tribute to Listervelt Middleton, Dr. John Henrik Clarke, and "For The People."  Currently, he is a facilitator at AYA Educational Institute (www.ayaed.com) and can be reached at sevenfootpoet@gmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

.

 

Do you need and appreciate Black Agenda Report articles? Please click on the DONATE icon, and help us out, if you can.


More Stories


  • BAR Radio Logo
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Report June 26, 2026
    26 Jun 2026
    In this week’s segment, we discuss the status of talks between Iran and the U.S.
  • Colombia elections
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Colombia, FIFA, the World Cup and the Materiality of White Supremacy in the Age of Globalization
    26 Jun 2026
    Ajamu Baraka is a Black Agenda Report contributing editor and Director of the North-South Project for People(s)-Centered Human Right
  • Strait of Hormuz
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Can Iran Have Real Peace with an Imperialist U.S.?
    26 Jun 2026
    Navid Zarrinnal is an Iranian journalist. He joins us from Iran to discuss the fragile "cease fire," Trump's threats, the Strait of Hormuz, how Iran's defense capabilities have frustrated the U.S.,…
  • Ajamu Baraka
    ​​​​​​​ Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor and columnist , Dimitri Lascaris
    Gustavo Petro: Israel Stole Colombia's Presidential Election
    24 Jun 2026
    Dimitri Lascaris speaks with Ajamu Baraka about Colombia's Presidential Election and Gustavo Petro's allegation that Israel tampered with the voting tabulation to bring about a razor-thin victory for…
  • Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Democrats and Trump Are in Sync on Iran
    24 Jun 2026
    The bipartisan consensus for regime change against Iran hit the wall of Iranian resistance. But Trump is forced into talks while democrats attack him from the right and expose themselves as partners…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us