A Georgia Song, by Maya Angelou
by Elouise
In tribute to Maya Angelou, Martin Luther King, Jr., and all African-American poets and dreamers who see into us and into our history with razor-sharp eyes, ears and tongues.
As a transplanted (from California) citizen of Savannah, Georgia, I grew up surrounded by two stories–the white story splashed boldly across the city of Savannah and its outlying communities, and the black story inextricably woven into the warp and woof of everyday life. Visible yet invisible. Maya Angelou’s poem is haunting for its accuracy, its longing for something better, and its painful memories. I’ve included a few explanatory notes at the end.
A Georgia Song
We swallow the odors of Southern cities,
Fat back boiled to submission,
Tender evening poignancies of
Magnolia and the great green
Smell of fresh sweat.
In Southern fields,
The sound of distant
Feet running, or dancing,
And the liquid notes of
Sorrow songs,
Waltzes, screams and
French quadrilles float over
The loam of Georgia.Sing me to sleep, Savannah.
Clocks run down in Tara’s halls and dusty
Flags droop their unbearable
Sadness.Remember our days, Susannah.
Oh, the blood-red clay,
Wet still with ancient
Wrongs, and Abenaa
Singing her Creole airs to Macon.
We long, dazed, for winter evenings
And a whitened moon,
And the snap of controllable fires.Cry for our souls, Augusta.
We need a wind to strike
Sharply, as the thought of love
Betrayed can stop the heart
An absence of tactile
Romance, no lips offering
Succulence, nor eyes
Rolling disconnected from
A Sambo face.Dare us new dreams, Columbus.
A cool new moon, a
Winter’s night, calm blood,
Sluggish, moving only
Out of habit, we need
Peace.Oh Atlanta, oh deep, and
Once lost city,Chant for us a new song. A song
Of Southern peace.Poem found in Maya Angelou: Poetry for Young People, Sterling Children’s Books, New York, published 2013
Cities in Georgia named in this poem: Savannah, Macon, Augusta, Columbus and Atlanta
Fatback is a Southern delicacy – fat from a side of pork, often fried like chips; here, the reference is to harsh treatment of slaves.
“Tara’s halls” refers to the home of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind.
Abenaa – a girl born on Tuesday (in the Fanti language)
Creole – of mixed African and European ancestry
Sambo – stereotypic nickname for an African American boy
The painting at the top depicts the beginning of Sherman’s March through Georgia in the 1850s — from Atlanta to Savannah, with the goal of total submission of the South, along with the so-called end of slavery. The uncounted tragedies of this war include the attempt of our country to root out anyone standing in the way of our ‘pre-ordained greatness.’ Hence, on the other side of this Uncivil War, lurked attempts of some to drive out or destroy American Indians who stood in the way of railroads and the gold rush.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Maya Angelou and other poets challenge us to rise above our past. To become truly great as human beings, unafraid to look up, greet each other, and join the human race.
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 15 January 2018
Artwork found at allpurposegurulcom; painter and title not identified
Let us stand as tall as we dare, and make the difference. ((xxx))
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Indeed!
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I cannot pretend to understand this beautiful poem, but it speaks to me of things I have only heard. Thank you for sharing. I need to lean into this and learn. More importantly, to listen closely to those around me who are oppressed. Thank you.
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You’re welcome, David. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Listening closely is a huge gift to anyone. I also believe each of us is capable of much more than we realize. Hoping you have a wonderful day!
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I find the expression African/American very odd,
I always believed that people were Asian, Caucasian, Negroid (alphabetical).
If a Negro from Africa settles in Australia, and becomes an Australian citizen then he/she is an Australian,; but still a Negro, same for an Asian or Caucasian. Nothing changes, He /she is not an African/Australian
Are the people of Chinese heritage in the US called Chinese/American or Asian/American? Are the European settlers called Caucasian/American?
Of course not, and I think it’s ridiculous, and in a sense discriminator,y to call Negro/African/Americans anything other than Americans!
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Actually, we do have Chinese or Asian Americans and also Irish Americans, Native American Indians, and others. The term African American isn’t old, and reflects the preferred term used by black Americans.
Our census data tracks the population in terms of ethnicity. Caucasian (as used in census materials) means white/not Hispanic or Latino/Latinoa. We’re proud of our diversity and of our ethnicity. And we struggle with it daily. The term for white Americans whose ancestors came from Western Europe is WASP (White Anglo-Saxon-Protestant).
I don’t find it ridiculous at all that we identify populations and collect data to demonstrate whether they’re being treated equally or not (including the weight of votes in a general election).
This isn’t an easy issue given our history of slavery and segregation, as well as our history of driving Native American Indians out of their lands. The reality of biracial and interracial marriage is also part of our history, and creates its own opportunities and challenges.
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I think that possibly our way of thinking stems from the early settlers from the old dart; being convicts, and I’ve embraced that. Theres a song that gets a bashing here ” I am, we are Australian’ pretty well sums up the majority of Australians attitude
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That would make sense. It’s a point of pride, perhaps? And healthy defiance? Thanks, Brian.
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You’re right about the point of pride Elouise; sadly though it is disappearing, but I’m not going into that now. 😥
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I know what you are saying, but I do agree to some extent with Brian. I still remember a comment I got from someone who reads my blog when they referred to Australian Aborigines as African/Australians.
And I think that the differences that can be seen between Ethiopians and Nigerians (for example) make it a bit simplistic to lump them together as “African”.
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I agree that differences are visible. They’re also recognized and acknowledged, though not in official record-keeping when it comes to ethnicity. Also, many Africans are immigrants or here on work-study visas. Along with others who aren’t citizens of the USA. Part of the challenge with African Americans
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Oops…. is that they don’t know their countries of origin. They’re descendants of slaves whose families were purposefully broken up when they were sold into slavery. To me, the biggest issue is whether we’re treating each other as full human beings.
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And sadly I don’t think we are.
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Agreed. 100 percent.
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I like to believe that if love is kept in our hearts towards all of man/woman, this world would be a better place, spread it to all and treat color as if an invisibility, all just shades of the same spectrum on the zenith ❤ good post E ❤ ❤
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