How appropriate it is
To be between 2 & 3
In the morning, I see
Between the second (Kujichagalia) and third (Ujima) principles…
To be self-determined and accept my role in collective works and responsibility…
Reading, to the end, the yellowed pages of this old book
Called Dark Ghetto
Understanding brand new and old references to dark ghettos
Wary of things that move in dark places, dark spaces…
“The poetic irony of American race relations…
…the rejected Negro…
…must somehow also find the strength to free the privileged…”
[Not just] white.
Words as true in 2020 as they were in ’65…
The last words on yellowed pages, in this old book…
Joy Barnes-Johnson, Ph.D. 