Poem for Black boys

Nikki Giovanni

(With special love to James)

Where are your heroes, my little Black ones

You are the Indian you so disdainfully shoot

Not the big bad sheriff on his faggoty white horse

You should play run-away-slave

Or Mau Mau

These are more in line with your history

Ask your mothers for a Rap Brown gun

Santa just may comply if you wish hard enough

Ask for CULLURD instead of Monopoly

DO NOT SIT IN DO NOT FOLLOW KING

GO DIRECTLY TO STREETS

This is a game you can win.

As you sit there with all your understanding eyes

You know the truth of what I’m saying

Play Back-to-Black

Grow a natural and practice vandalism

These are useful games (some say a skill even

learned)

There is a new game I must tell you of

It’s called Catch The Leader Lying

(and knowing your sense of absurd

you will enjoy this)

Also a company called Revolution has just issued

A special kit for little boys

Called Burn Baby

I’m told it has full instructions on how to siphon gas

And fill a bottle

Then our old friend Hide and Seek becomes valid

Because we have much to seek and ourselves to hide

From a lecherous dog

And this poem I give is worth much more

Than any nickle bag

Or ten cent toy

And you will understand all too soon

That you, my children of battle, are your heroes

You must invent your own games and teach us old

Ones how to play.

Fonte (estrofes 1 e 2): Pereira, E. A., org. 2010. Um tigre na floresta de signos. BH, Maza Edições. Poema datado de 1967. ‘Nikki Giovanni’ é a assinatura literária de Yolande Cornelia Giovanni.