Poem of the Week: Chris August

OIL

America, don’t we love like oil?

Don’t our slippery arms

Pave the pores of those who need us?

Don’t we suffocate with our embrace?

Hasn’t our sheen of pink slips

And half-hearted hand outs

Sucked the air from blue collared lungs?

Aren’t cardboard boxes as porous

As dollar bills?

Don’t we infiltrate?

Isn’t our heart amorphous?

Aren’t we a slow build

And a tight grip?

Don’t countless dumb animals

Struggle their way from our grip?

Doesn’t Europe’s fur still glisten

From the crude of our aid?

Doesn’t the Middle East smell like us?

Aren’t we just like oil?

Is it any surprise when it leaks from our bowels

Into once pristine oceans

Don’t we muddy the waters?

Don’t we smear our babies’ asses

With petroleum jelly,

Don’t we air commercials for coal

On CNN?

Isn’t oil us?

Isn’t it slippery

But insistently vital,

Isn’t it the only black thing

We’re not afraid of?

Isn’t it us?

Isn’t it symbolic how it slips out,

How it once was life,

How we need it,

How it kills us?

Don’t we love symbolism?

A great white nation

With no control of dark things,

Dirty things, moving things

Isn’t it what we know?

Isn’t it what believe in?

Two press conferences too late,

A wellspring of good intentions

Strangling the seascape,

Isn’t it angry,

Isn’t it unstoppable,

Isn’t it us?

- Chris August

Used by permission.

Chris August is a writer and special educator from Baltimore, Maryland. He has been a part of the national poetry slam community since 2002. In that time, he has been ranked among the top ten performance poets in the world and has performed and competed across the country. He is the author of several self published collections of poetry.

August was a featured opening performer at ‘Howl’ in the City, a performance of Allen Ginsberg’s seminal poem “Howl” by Anne Waldman on July 23^rd and 24^th, 2010. Cosponsored by Split This Rock and Busboys and Poets.

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202-787-5210

SPARKLE at Busboys and Poets/ DC Youth Slam at Black Cat May 27th

SPARKLE is a queer friendly reading series held at Busboys and Poets at 5th and K (1025 5th St. NW). Hosted by Regie Cabico and Natalie E. Illum (a 2010 Split This Rock featured poet). Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 27th at 8pm, SPARKLE will feature the Baltimore Slam Master Chris August (www.slamocide.com) Chris is incredibly funny, deep, charming and ruthless at at the same time. It is a feature not to be missed. Admission is 3 dollars, and the reading will include an open mic.

SPARKLE is made possible by a grant from the DC Commission for the Arts & Humanities
and support from Sol Y Soul.

After SPARKLE, head over to the Black Cat to hear the young women from DC Youth Slam featured at Mothertongue. All ages are welcome, and admission is 8 dollars. Proceeds will help send the DC Youth Slam Team to Chicago to represent DC in the 12th Annual Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival. The show, hosted by Danielle Evennou, starts at 9:00 p.m. and will include an open mic, too.