The Genuine Negro Hero

Thomas Sayers Ellis

• Publisher: The Kent State University Press
• Year: 2001
• Print ISBN: 9780873387040
• eBook ISBN: 9781631011061
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Poetry
• Index: Literature

"His best work is characterized by thoughtfulness, strong descriptive skills flavored with vivid turns of phrase, and emotional complexities in both the poems themselves and the effects they evoke."—Boston Book Review

TWO

HEADS (ALL CAPS), 1989

HEAD UP

HEAD DOWN

HAND UP

HEAD UPSIDE DOWN

HAND UP

HEAD FACING DOWN

HEAD ON TOP

HEAD ON BOTTOM

HEAD TO HEAD

HEAD FACING FRONT

HEAD FACING BACK

STAINED FACE

FACING STAINED

FINGER

STAINED FINGER

FACING STAINED

FACE

STAINED ARMS

BALANCING STAINED

HEADS

WASH FACE

WASH HANDS

WASH HEADS

HEAD FACE UP

HEAD FACE DOWN

FACE WALL

FACE FLOOR

FACE TORTURE

FACE HEAD

ON FINGERS

FACE HEAD

ON HEAD

FACE FINGERS

FACE TONGUE

ON NOSE

FACE DOUBLE SIZE HEADS

FACE SCALP

FACING SCALP

BALANCE HEAD

ON HEAD

BALANCE HEAD

ON HAND

BALANCE TWO HEADS

ON TWO HANDS

NAIL HANDS

HANG HEADS

BREAK ARMS

BALANCE PENCIL

ON PAPER

BUY CATALOG

FACE DEATH

HEAD ON

FACE DOWN

COWBOY MINIMALISM

for Michelle Weinberg

About twelve

inches or seconds

of pure

pencil is

all any outlaw

needs to draw

both hand

& gun. Most

need less

when the saloon

is cactus

dry

—the whole

town covered

wagon

-dependent, young

& old guns,

for hire,

dying of

thirst but still

a posse—

& an insider, what

every white

male artist

wants. To be

ridden. To be

horse-like this way,

hung. Why

else go

West—hot on

the pictorial trail

of a woman

never

known for cleaning

her brushes

—when all

of New York

is making

pictures artificial as

REALISM?

Gold Rush. Enough

of false risk

in this Age or

any other.

This is

how to draw & how

to show

off. Over-

emphasized gentleness.

Sex exposed. Before

& after the

opening

Bruce & Susan

take turns in

the saddle,

improvising dripping.

Revolver.

Holster. Revolver.

Barrel &

hole.

Eye shot

point blank with

envy.

BALLOON DOG (1993)

for Janeen Moore

Snap. Blow.

Twist. Squeak.

So this is

how—fenced in

by camera

& nightness

—you

got born,

both you

and the cube

coming

into life,

in the white

hands of

some even whiter

-faced clown.

Auguste

aka dumb

-dumb. The

only one capable

of seriously

loving old air & rubber.

Little balloon

dog, totem

-billed one

monitor above

Coffee Spilled,

are you any-

body’s best

friend? Your parents

were hands,

co-signers

& you are

you because

your balloon

bones

know you,

ON AIR

& OFF. I paused

when I noticed

your skin had

already

started to

lose shine, the

air inside

your sausage-

...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Halftitle Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• One
• Two