A young artist came into Michelangelo’s studio to show the great master his finished work of art. He did not get the kind of response he wanted when Michelangelo smashed the neophyte’s art project against the wall. Michelangelo looked up and said, “Learn the art of modeling before you learn the art of finishing.” In the ruins lies the discovery, I am not formed, yet, I must study. The road is long and difficult to discovery. This long road is what brought me from the southern shore of Lake Okeechobee in Western Palm Beach County, Florida to New York. He frequents the local spots on the poetry scene. He has more than 15 years as a classroom teacher. Presently he is a curriculum writer for the New York Junior Tennis League.
The President and the Negro
(Ralph Waldo Ellison)
Why scapegoat me?
I was there long before
Booker T. dined there
I helped build it,
maintained its frame,
polished its artifact,
cleaned the spittoons.
At Mt. Vernon,
I served mutton, wine,
And cheese on the portico
of Mt. Vernon,
made nails at Monticello,
at Montpelier,
kept hay beneath the bed of
James Monroe
Why scapegoat me?
Why hold back this moment,
the opening of
Sally Hemming’ closet.
The President has come
downstairs.
