Night, Death, Mississippi by Robert Hayden
“Time was. A cry? / A cry all right. / He hawks and spits, / fevered as by groinfire.” — Robert Hayden
Colosseum by Jericho Brown
“Because I am what gladiators call / A man in love—love / Being any reminder we survived.” — Jericho Brown
Alternate Names for Black Boys by Danez Smith
“5. guilty until proven dead / 6. oil heavy starlight / 7. monster until proven ghost / 8. gone” — Danez Smith
“A Mouthful of Salt… / I Came Through Numb Waters” by Charif Shanahan
“How do I move the line when it is buried // in the earth. Why do you think my face / is the face you think you see.” — Charif Shanahan
what the ocean said to the black boy by Clint Smith
“they call me blue because / they don't understand how the sky work / they call you black because / they don't understand how god work” — Clint Smith
supply and demand by Evie Shockley
“most people don't know how to save black boys. // black boys don't grow on trees.” — Evie Shockley
What the Wind, Rain, and Thunder Said to Tom by Tyehimba Jess
“Become your own full sky. Own / every damn sound that struts through your ears.” — Tyehimba Jess
Postcards to the Other Brown Girl in My Weightlifting Class by Tarfia Faizullah
"I do not want / to give myself—I want to be stem, / stamen, petal, not blossom, not bloom—"
apology by George Abraham
“forgive the bodies i swallowed like broken teeth: the knees i spent trying to summon god in my own mouth:” — George Abraham
If Life Is As Short As Our Ancestors Insist It Is, Why Isn’t Everything I Want Already At My Feet by Hanif Abdurraqib
"I am a simple man. I want, mostly, / a year that will not kill me when it is over."