Power by Audre Lorde (1976)

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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]

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

  1. Power by Audre Lorde. Poem Analysis. Retrieved January 16, 2021
  2. Poetry and the Civil Rights Movement. Poetry Foundation. Retrieved January 16, 2021
  3. Audre Lorde. Wikipedia. Retreived January 16, 2021
  4. Audre Lorde. Poets. Retrieved January 16, 2021
  5. Audre Lorde American poet and author. Britannica. Retrieved January 16, 2021
  6. Audre Lorde: Poetry Essay Questions. Grade Saver. Retrieved January 16, 2021
  7. Power. Literary Devices. Retrieved January 16, 2021