People in our community are expressing their feelings about the death of Philando Castile in many ways. 15 local poets gathered at the Penumbra Theater in St. Paul for a community reading. It was part of Black Poets Speak Out, a poetry-driven protest that began after the death of Michael Brown in 2014. Report includes an excerpt of Michael Kleber Diggs reading his poem "St. Paul Morning."
SPEAKER: Folks in our community are expressing their feelings about the death of Philando Castile in many ways. Last night, 15 local poets gathered at the Penumbra Theater in St. Paul for a community reading. It was part of Black Poets Speak Out, a poetry-driven protest that began after the death of Michael Brown in 2014. Michael Kleber-Diggs read his poem St. Paul Morning. Here's a portion of it.
MICHAEL KLEBER-DIGGS: Morning. Walking my neighborhood, I come upon a colony of ants busy at work. I take care not to step on any and miss them all then encounter up a ways a fellow traveler greeting the day. I am frightening her. No, she is afraid of me.
Is she a neighbor? Is she an introvert? Is she just in from the burbs, from the country? Is she scared of the inner city? Am I the inner city? Is she racist? Aren't I the one who should be wary? Or is he a survivor like me?
It can't be what I'm wearing, khakis, a blue and white short sleeve button-down shirt, those Keane sandals, I favor because they're comfortable, my feet can breathe in them. You guys, I am the nicest man on Earth.
[LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE]
And I want to shout out, morning. But homonyms and fragile cities often produce misunderstandings.
SPEAKER: That is Michael Kleber-Diggs reading from his poem St. Paul Morning. Thanks to intern Ellen Bartyzel for getting us that audio.
Digitization made possible by the National Historical Publications & Records Commission.
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