You Could Never Take A Car to Greenland

Maggie Smith

my daughter says. Unless the car could float.

Unless by car you mean boat. Unless the ocean

turned to ice and promised not to crack.

Unless Greenland floated over here,

having lifted its anchor. Unless we could row

our country there. Our whole continent

would have to come along, wouldn't it? Unless

we cut ourselves free. What kind of saw

could we use for that? What kind of oars

could deliver one country to another?

She asks, Why is Greenland called Greenland

if it’s not green? Why is Iceland called

Iceland if it’s greener than Greenland?

Unless it’s a trick, a lie: the name Greenland

is an ad for Greenland. Who would go

promised nothing but ice? Who would cut

her home to pieces and row away for that?

A Boy Named Sue

Shel Silverstein, made famous by Johnny Cash

My daddy left home when I was three And he didn’t leave much to Ma and me, Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze. Now, I don’t blame him cause he run and hid, But the meanest thing that he ever did Was before he left, he went and named me “Sue”! Well, he must’ve thought that is was quite a joke And it got a lot of laughs from lots of folk. It seems I had to fight my whole life through. Some gal would giggle and I’d get red And some guy’d laugh and I’d bust his head. I tell you, life ain’t easy for a boy named “Sue”!

Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean; My fist got hard and my wits got keen. I’d roam from town to town to hide my shame. But I made me a vow to the moon and stars That I’d search the honky-tonks and bars And kill that man that gave me that awful name.

Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July And I just hit town and my throat was dry. I thought I’d stop and have myself a brew. At an old saloon on a street of mud, There at a table, dealing stud, Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me “Sue”.

Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad From a worn-out picture that my mother’d had, And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye. He was big and bent and grey and old, And I looked at him and my blood ran cold And I said: “My name is Sue! How do you do! Now you gonna die!!”

Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes, And he went down but, to my surprise, He came up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear! So I busted a chair right across his teeth And we crashed through the wall and into the street Kicking and gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer.

I tell you, I’ve fought tougher men, But I really can’t remember when! He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile! I heard him laugh, and then he cursed; He went for his gun, but I pulled mine first. He stood there lookin’ at me and I saw him smile,

And he said, “Son, this world is rough And if a man’s gonna make it, he’s gotta be tough, And I knew I wouldn’t be there to help you along. So I gave you that name and I said goodbye; I knew you’d have to get tough or die! It’s that name that helped to make you strong!”

He said, “Now you just fought one hell of a fight, And I know you hate me, and you got the right To kill me now, and I wouldn’t blame you if you do. But you ought to thank me, before I die, For the gravel in your guts and the spit in your eye Cause I’m the son of a bitch that named you Sue!”

I got all choked up and I threw down my gun And I called him Pa, and he called me Son, And I came away with a different point of view. And I think about him, now and then, Every time I try and every time I win, And if I ever have a son, I think I’m gonna name him Bill or George! Anything damn thing but Sue! I still hate that name!

Mississippi

E Ethelbert Miller

death surrounds itself with the living i watch them take the body from the house i’m a young kid maybe five years old the whole thing makes no sense to me i hear my father say          lord jesus what she go and do this for i watch him walk out the backdoor of the house i watch him walk around the garden kick the dirt stare at the flowers & shake his head  shake his head he shakes his head all night long yazoo jackson vicksburg we must have family in almost every city i spent more time traveling than growing up guess that’s why i’m still shorter than my old man he don’t like to stay in one place much he tell me soon as people get to know your last name seem like they want to call you by your first boy    if someone ask you your name tell them to call you mississippi not sippi or sip but mississippi how many colored folks you know name mississippi none see now you can find a whole lot of folks whose name is canada just like you can find 53 people in any phone book whose name is booker t. washington your mother she was a smart woman gave you a good name not one of them abolitionist names what you look like with a name like john brown or william lloyd garrison that don’t have no class your mother she named you after the river cause of its beauty and mystery just like my mother named me nevada cause she didn’t know where it was

Atlanta - A Poem

CS Begu

I’ve never been to Atlanta,

I don’t know Atlanta,

But I saw it on TV.

It has an ancient name, with a Southern twist.

Curious how “atl” means “water” in Aztec,

which sounds liquid for your tongue.

Say it! “Atl, atl”.

I think that’s why they named the ocean - “Atlantic”,

which, if I were a poet, I’d translate as “ancient water”.

Naturally, the smart people would disagree:

“It’s from the Greek lost land of Atlantis

and the titan Atlas, carrying the world on his shoulders”.

But then I’d disagree back, with no argument

because poets can afford to.

And I’d quickly change the subject:

“Anyway, I don’t think Atlas would get a visa

to Atlanta.”

Mississippi

E. Ethelbert Miller

death surrounds itself with the living

i watch them take the body from the house

i’m a young kid maybe five years old

the whole thing makes no sense to me

i hear my father say

lord jesus what she go and do this for

i watch him walk out the backdoor of the house

i watch him walk around the garden

kick the dirt

stare at the flowers

& shake his head shake his head

he shakes his head all night long

yazoo

jackson

vicksburg

we must have family in almost every city

i spent more time traveling than growing up

guess that’s why i’m still shorter than my old man

he don’t like to stay in one place much

he tell me

soon as people get to know your last name

seem like they want to call you by your first

boy if someone ask you your name

tell them to call you mississippi

not sippi or sip but mississippi

how many coloured folks you know name mississippi

none see

now you can find a whole lot of folks whose

name is canada

just like you can find 53 people in any phone book

whose name is booker t. washington

your mother she was a smart woman

gave you a good name

not one of them abolitionist names

what you look like with a name like

john brown or william lloyd garrison

that don’t have no class

your mother she named you after the river

cause of its beauty and mystery

just like my mother named me nevada

cause she didn’t know where it was