Power by Audre Lorde (1976)
Power is based on a real-life story of murder and court case. First published in 1978, however the story is still relevant in today’s event. The case mentioned about the murder of Clifford Glover, a ten-year-old black boy who was killed in 1973 by a racist police officer named Thomas Shea.
The shooting incident happened on April 28, 1973 when Glover and his stepfather stopped on the street at 5 a.m. The two were suspected guilty of robbery, the undercover cops pulled their weapons. On the other story, Clifford and his stepfather ran, believing that they were the one who were about to be robbed. Thomas Shea, the first New York City police officer ever tried for mruder while on duty, this led to riots in the South Jamaica section of Queens, New York. [1]
Contents
Poetry
The difference between poetry and rhetoric
is being ready to kill
yourself
instead of your children.
I am trapped on a desert of raw gunshot wounds
and a dead child dragging his shattered black
face off the edge of my sleep
blood from his punctured cheeks and shoulders
is the only liquid for miles
and my stomach
churns at the imagined taste while
my mouth splits into dry lips
without loyalty or reason
thirsting for the wetness of his blood
as it sinks into the whiteness
of the desert where I am lost
without imagery or magic
trying to make power out of hatred and destruction
trying to heal my dying son with kisses
only the sun will bleach his bones quicker.
A policeman who shot down a ten year old in Queens
stood over the boy with his cop shoes in childish blood
and a voice said “Die you little motherfucker” and
there are tapes to prove it. At his trial
this policeman said in his own defense
“I didn't notice the size nor nothing else
only the color”. And
there are tapes to prove that, too.
Today that 37 year old white man
with 13 years of police forcing
was set free
by eleven white men who said they were satisfied
justice had been done
and one Black Woman who said
“They convinced me” meaning
they had dragged her 4'10 black Woman's frame
over the hot coals
of four centuries of white male approval
until she let go
the first real power she ever had
and lined her own womb with cement
to make a graveyard for our children.
I have not been able to touch the destruction
within me.
But unless I learn to use
the difference between poetry and rhetoric
my power too will run corrupt as poisonous mold
or lie limp and useless as an unconnected wire
and one day I will take my teenaged plug
and connect it to the nearest socket
raping an 85 year old white woman
who is somebody's mother
and as I beat her senseless and set a torch to her bed
a greek chorus will be singing in 3/4 time
“Poor thing. She never hurt a soul. What beasts they are.” [2]
Author
Audrey Geraldine Lorde, well known as Audre Lorde (/ˈɔːdri lɔːrd/) was an American writer, feminist, librarioan, womanist and civil rights activist. Describing herself as a “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet,” is best knwon for technical mastery and emotional expression. [3]
Born on February 18, 1934 in New York City of the youngest of three sisters, raised in Manhattan and attended Catholic school. Her first poem appeared when she was in high school in Seventeen magazine. [4]
Lorde attended Hunter College to receive her B.A. degree in 1959 and master’s degree in library science, in 1961. Her first volume of poetry, The First Cities was published in 1968. [5]
Racism Issue
The Audre Lorde’s Power describes the racial violence, the brutal and unsparing portrayal of a police officer towards a young African-American boy, where a police officer said, "Die you little mother****er"'. This also touches on the legacy of injustice about abusive power, in which it is described as “four centuries of white male approval.” Moreover, the title of the poem explains that “power corrupts” presented in all social settings and circumstances. [6]
The Poem talks about racism in the justice system, white supremacy, police brutality. The author addresses the the murder of Clifford Glover and the court did not bring justice for either the victim or his family. This voices the author’s rage which connected to anger and all of the abuse at the hands of white oppressors.
The major theme in this poem is about the powerlessness of the black people, white supremacy, and the anger as the major themes underlined in this poem. Two ways that this poem can be interpreted: Literal level speaking about the ultimate power of the white cop, giving him the rights to kill the boy. Based on poetic level, speaking about the author’s disgust feelings over the incident. She highlights the uncontrolled freedom of the whites, replacing them with power or race. [7]
References
- ↑ Power by Audre Lorde. Poem Analysis. Retrieved January 16, 2021
- ↑ Poetry and the Civil Rights Movement. Poetry Foundation. Retrieved January 16, 2021
- ↑ Audre Lorde. Wikipedia. Retreived January 16, 2021
- ↑ Audre Lorde. Poets. Retrieved January 16, 2021
- ↑ Audre Lorde American poet and author. Britannica. Retrieved January 16, 2021
- ↑ Audre Lorde: Poetry Essay Questions. Grade Saver. Retrieved January 16, 2021
- ↑ Power. Literary Devices. Retrieved January 16, 2021