{"id":296,"date":"2020-02-26T15:41:16","date_gmt":"2020-02-26T15:41:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pluckjournal.uky.edu\/?p=296"},"modified":"2020-06-03T22:32:49","modified_gmt":"2020-06-03T22:32:49","slug":"the-unbearable-blackness-of-being","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pluckjournal.uky.edu\/welcome\/2020\/02\/26\/the-unbearable-blackness-of-being\/","title":{"rendered":"The Unbearable Blackness of Being"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Nietzsche says<\/span>
it has already<\/span>
happened<\/span>
that it will<\/span>
happen again<\/span>
ad infinitum<\/span>
in fact<\/span>
this heaviness<\/span>
he says is<\/span>
unbearably unavoidable<\/span><\/p>

but the sophist<\/span>
knows i am<\/span>
made of stardust<\/span>
there will<\/span>
only, ever be<\/span>
one of me<\/span>
my life is<\/span>
not cheap<\/span><\/p>

i am beautiful and i am black<\/span><\/p>

i know why<\/span>
i frighten you<\/span>
when i step<\/span>
onto the elevator<\/span>
so from time<\/span>
to time i<\/span>
must remind myself<\/span>
that my blackness<\/span>
is too bright<\/span>
to gaze<\/span>
directly into<\/span><\/p>

ask the greeks<\/span>
about the unbearable<\/span>
blackness<\/span>
of my being<\/span>
they thought<\/span>
i was a god<\/span>
as plato and<\/span>
herodotus walked<\/span>
among us, they<\/span>
thought my<\/span>
skin was otherworldy<\/span>
my head, wondrously<\/span>
woolly or smooth<\/span>
as the face<\/span>
of the sun<\/span>
must have been<\/span>
crowned in celestial glory<\/span>
that as my hand<\/span>
stretched<\/span>
to the sky, it<\/span>
held the what<\/span>
and the why<\/span>
as i circumscribed<\/span>
the heavens in<\/span>
the palm of<\/span>
my hand, that<\/span>
my finger<\/span>
pointed to where<\/span>
we came from<\/span>
running back to<\/span>
athens to build what<\/span>
they thought was<\/span>
a flattering replica<\/span>
of the mysteries<\/span>
they had been<\/span>
exposed to<\/span>
conveniently forgetting<\/span>
where they got<\/span>
it from<\/span><\/p>

the astronomer<\/span>
knows, i am<\/span>
made of stardust<\/span>
there will<\/span>
only, ever be<\/span>
one of me<\/span>
and my life<\/span>
is not cheap<\/span><\/p>

i am terribly and wonderfully made<\/span><\/p>

i know why<\/span>
you are frightened<\/span>
of me, why<\/span>
you have to<\/span>
follow behind me<\/span>
in the dark, i<\/span>
have to remind<\/span>
myself that<\/span>
my sun-kissed skin<\/span>
may be envied<\/span>
that you need<\/span>
freud and jung<\/span>
to help you with<\/span>
what you have<\/span>
repressed, to<\/span>
unwind your mind\u2019s<\/span>
deep seeded jealously<\/span><\/p>

ask the<\/span>
Cheyenne or<\/span>
Comanche<\/span>
about the<\/span>
unbearable blackness<\/span>
of my being<\/span>
how they thought<\/span>
i was sacred<\/span>
how their men<\/span>
knew me as<\/span>
one part ferocity<\/span>
that my hair must<\/span>
have meant that<\/span>
i was also two<\/span>
parts buffalo<\/span>
how the women<\/span>
wanted me to<\/span>
lay down with<\/span>
them knowing my<\/span>
offspring would<\/span>
be blessed<\/span><\/p>

the shaman<\/span>
knows, i am<\/span>
made of stardust<\/span>
there will<\/span>
only, ever be<\/span>
one of me<\/span>
and my life<\/span>
is not cheap<\/span><\/p>

i agree with Kundera, Nietzsche had it wrong<\/span><\/p>

in a little<\/span>
while, not<\/span>
long from now<\/span>
in an age<\/span>
soon to come<\/span>
your hate<\/span>
will have crumbled<\/span>
into dust, and<\/span>
blown away<\/span>
like the paper this<\/span>
is printed on<\/span>
that you had to<\/span>
follow me, that<\/span>
you feared me<\/span>
crossed the street<\/span>
when you saw<\/span>
me coming<\/span>
because my<\/span>
blackness was<\/span>
unbearable, your<\/span>
ugliness, will<\/span>
be a distant<\/span>
memory out<\/span>
of focus<\/span>
like an old<\/span>
photo faded<\/span>
beyond recognition<\/span>
that you tried<\/span>
desperately to hold<\/span>
onto your privilege<\/span>
as it evaporated<\/span>
like milk in<\/span>
the noonday sun<\/span>
will be an<\/span>
unread footnote<\/span>
in the back<\/span>
of a mis-shelved book<\/span>
smelling of mildew<\/span>
on the bottom<\/span>
shelf in a forgotten<\/span>
corner, no<\/span>
longer checked<\/span>
out of the library<\/span>
but i, who<\/span>
am beautiful<\/span>
black and<\/span>
made of stardust<\/span>
will live on<\/span><\/p>

Powered by wordads.co<\/span><\/div>
Seen ad many times<\/span><\/div>
Not relevant<\/span><\/div>
Offensive<\/span><\/div>
Covers content<\/span><\/div>
Broken<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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–Gerald L. Coleman <\/span>is a native of Lexington, KY. He did his undergraduate work in Philosophy and English, before completing a Master\u2019s degree in Theology. He is currently finishing work on the first, in a series, of Fantasy\/Sci-Fi novels entitled Sanctuary<\/em>, and has just compiled his second collection of poems entitled\u00a0naked<\/em>. He is a lover of espresso, early mornings on the golf course, and Lexington in the fall. He is a founding member of the Affrilachian Poets.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nietzsche saysit has alreadyhappenedthat it willhappen againad infinitumin factthis heavinesshe says isunbearably unavoidable but the sophistknows i ammade of stardustthere willonly, ever beone of memy life isnot cheap i am beautiful and i am black i know whyi frighten youwhen i steponto the elevatorso from timeto time imust remind myselfthat my blacknessis too brightto gazedirectly into ask the greeksabout the unbearableblacknessof my beingthey thoughti was a godas plato andherodotus walkedamong us, theythought myskin was otherworldymy head, wondrouslywoolly or smoothas the faceof the sunmust have beencrowned in celestial glorythat as my handstretchedto the sky, itheld the whatand the whyas i circumscribedthe heavens inthe palm ofmy hand, thatmy fingerpointed to wherewe came fromrunning back toathens to build whatthey thought wasa flattering replicaof the mysteriesthey had beenexposed toconveniently forgettingwhere they gotit from the astronomerknows, i ammade of stardustthere willonly, ever beone of meand my lifeis not cheap i am terribly and wonderfully made i know whyyou are frightenedof me, whyyou have tofollow behind mein the dark, ihave to remindmyself thatmy sun-kissed skinmay be enviedthat you needfreud and jungto help you withwhat you haverepressed, tounwind your mind\u2019sdeep seeded jealously ask theCheyenne orComancheabout theunbearable blacknessof my beinghow they thoughti was sacredhow their menknew me asone part ferocitythat my hair musthave meant thati was also twoparts buffalohow the womenwanted me tolay down withthem knowing myoffspring wouldbe blessed the shamanknows, i ammade of stardustthere willonly, ever beone of meand my lifeis not cheap i agree with Kundera, Nietzsche had it wrong in a littlewhile, notlong from nowin an agesoon to comeyour hatewill have crumbledinto dust, andblown awaylike the paper thisis printed onthat you had tofollow me, thatyou feared mecrossed the streetwhen you sawme comingbecause myblackness wasunbearable, yourugliness, willbe a distantmemory outof focuslike an oldphoto fadedbeyond recognitionthat you trieddesperately to holdonto your privilegeas it evaporatedlike milk inthe noonday sunwill be anunread footnotein the backof a mis-shelved booksmelling of mildewon the bottomshelf in a forgottencorner, nolonger checkedout of the librarybut i, whoam beautifulblack andmade of stardustwill live on Powered by wordads.coSeen ad many timesNot relevantOffensiveCovers contentBroken –Gerald L. Coleman is a native of Lexington, KY. He did his undergraduate work in Philosophy and English, before completing a Master\u2019s degree in Theology. He is currently finishing work on the first, in a series, of Fantasy\/Sci-Fi novels entitled Sanctuary, and has just compiled his second collection of poems entitled\u00a0naked. He is a lover of espresso, early mornings on the golf course, and Lexington in the fall. He is a founding member of the Affrilachian Poets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,6],"tags":[30,20,13],"class_list":["post-296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-eswatini-issue","category-poetry","tag-eswatini-issue","tag-gerald-coleman","tag-poetry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pluckjournal.uky.edu\/welcome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pluckjournal.uky.edu\/welcome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pluckjournal.uky.edu\/welcome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pluckjournal.uky.edu\/welcome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pluckjournal.uky.edu\/welcome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=296"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/pluckjournal.uky.edu\/welcome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":449,"href":"https:\/\/pluckjournal.uky.edu\/welcome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296\/revisions\/449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pluckjournal.uky.edu\/welcome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pluckjournal.uky.edu\/welcome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pluckjournal.uky.edu\/welcome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}