protest – Page 7 – sunrise in a small city

oasis

thorny brambles chancewind swept
miles and miles of labyrinth
around pools seenandrumored
magic carpets flyingover
crash in tumblingscratchingskids
stopandfind the painachingsorryguiltymess
loudly contemplate
each footwoundpiercing step

administration building at sunrise — (baltimore polytechnic institute’s pre-engineering program was opened to 16 segregated students in 1952 after petitioning by the naacp and the urban league—poly was then at north avenue and calvert street)

duly executed

bodies corporate perpetuating duration percentum
sheltering rent property public
dwelling not with standing
aggregating mutual covenants
whereof
witness
safety healthy morals

city hall dome at sunrise — (in 1949 over 2000 city residents railed at a city council meeting against unisolated public housing)

warfields

trip on bay line ship
every minute thru and thru
packet on ocean home
shallow water tumbling
teargas dancing

harbor from exeter and lancaster at sunrise — (in 1947 the president warfield left the harbor from near lancaster street heading for palestine via norfolk and france, and a rechristening as the exodus)

fatima unconsecrated

from sea of fire
human embers
rise in billowing smoke
and rain as sprinkled blood
returning to ocean

thanksgiving place at sunrise — (in 1947 50,000 catholics at memorial stadium prayed for the conversion of russia and peace on earth)

ignorant hands

from bronze age
factory and shop
shear
parallel tension
fit
essence of handiwork
belies petty greedhatred

brownfields at sunrise — (in 1943 thousands of white sparrows point workers stopped work when fifteen african americans were to be trained to rivet steel)

aint it truth

short life shorter youth no other
chew mealy apples chased with gin
phones ringless in mud
begging for moments
haters lovers cash and carry
your innerfish sauteed in streamingsun and flowers
swallow wideyed at ringing bells
someone step out of rainbow
rocking
it could be you

pennsylvania at upton at sunrise — (private thomas broadus was murdered by officer edward bender in 1942 on pennsylvania avenue after a louis armstrong show–2,000 people later marched to annapolis to protest racist police brutality)

mass forward in maelstrom

standing good
in uninterrupted disturbance
everlasting uncertainty
agitation
to be swept away

brownfields and powerboat at sunrise — (workers at sparrows point voted overwhelmingly to unionize in 1941, two months before the united states declared war on japan and germany)

checkerboard crew

paddy on atlantic highway
tearing through gale ice and rain
bells ringing
stars bearing
course possessed
seas spitting whiskey breath
art of scars gold of brass
love my brother seaman
or kiss my fucking ass

harbor watch at sunrise — (in 1937 paddy whalen and others who would establish the integrated national maritime union marched on washington dc to secure the right to organize—the national maritime union and the predecessor seamen’s defense committee in the city worked out of 702 eastern avenue)

one table

infinite mass
measured in a few test tubes
stuffed into some old fruit jars
for days
years
numbered
dense superheated
monarchs spreading through mountains valleys
supernovae

former law school at sunrise — (in 1935 donald murray successfully challenged the racist admissions policy
of the university of maryland law school, then located at redwood and greene streets)

always going somewhere

soldiers rode with sendeh
to hills above the city
“sendeh leave with your auto and turban and medicine
we know it’s you and won’t be tricked”
sendeh smiled as he began to drive away
“soldiers i have already tricked you
with your own medicine.
now wrap your beautiful turbans,
mine is fitted for the highway”

storefronts at sunrise — (during a brief residence in 1933 and 1934, kiowa costonie instigated and helped organize a buy where you can work campaign focusing on racist businesses along pennsylvania avenue)