Poem found here: "Legacy" by Amiri Baraka The poem here starts off with place "In the south," then gains traction by the usage of verbs. For example, "sleeping against / the drugstore, growling under, the trucks and stores." The focus here is action; meanwhile, the subject who is making the action is invisible. But note the usage of verbs here tending to side of animalistic or basic: stubling through and over the cluttered eyes / of early mysterious night frowning / drunk waving moving a hand or lash There is mention of human action but no actual specific focus on a single one. Here the speaker is encompassing the "blues people" by their actions Then the switch to the fun, "Dancing kneeling reaching out, letting / a hand rest in shadows. Squatting / to drink or pee." The speaker doesn't hold back on the actions, this is not somewhat glamorous action -- these are human actions which bring the groups of people together with ...
Formerly the RetailMFA, This is the Poetry Blog of Darrell Dela Cruz