there is a sorrow inside of me
a sadness deep down inside of me
that is cold & dark
as a watery grave
at the bottom of the sea
This book is comprised of one long poem taking the form of interior monologue by the protagonist, an unnamed black boy. This is not the same thing as a narrative poem that tells a story. The book does tell a story, but the events and details of that story are conveyed visually through the accompanying illustration. And even then, the actual details are presented impressionistically. For instance, this particular verse is accompanied by a two-page illustration showing a crowd of black men inside a barbershop looking up at television anchor reporting the news of another young person being shot by cops. But none of that information is directly and explicitly delivered in the illustration. Neither does the text of the poem offer specific details, preferring instead to act as a means of delivering the unvoiced pain and anxiety of the black boy experiencing yet another recurrence of this daily aspect of life as he knows it.
there is pride inside of me
no shame deep down inside of me
for I know how long and hard we have struggled
& against all odds my people have emerged
strong
The visual accompaniment in this case becomes even more impressionistic. As the speaker is shown on the left side of the page standing in a classroom, an explosion of faces dominates the right page. It is a cornucopia of faces of famous black figures from history including both Martin Luther King and Malcolm X as well as first black female astronaut Mae Jemison and others figures from sports and entertainment worlds. The entire commingling of verse and picture engages the overall impressionistic strategy by linking the idea of personal pride with the larger concept of cultural achievement.
there is a place inside of me
a space deep down inside of me
where all my feelings hide
they wait there in the darkness
a knot of electric emotion
seething, sizzling, burning
until I find the strength to reach inside
The book actually begins in kinetic movement with the speaker skateboarding in a carefree manner through his neighborhood. The quote above, unlike the previous examples, are spread across three different illustrations marking the advancement of the path being taken. Taken together, the text which accompanies these illustrations paint a collective portrait of a life in motion without obstruction from the outside world. Everything changes with the revelation of the cop’s shooting of the black girl after which the story of the protagonist is placed in startling juxtaposition as both the carefree attitude and the energy come to an end. The images which follow are notably static in a way that powerfully conveys the implicit idea that there is a life which kids like the speaker must learn to live and a life which they could and should have the alternative opportunity to live.
