Wanda Coleman's "OF CUCARACHAS & PEANUT - PEANUT BUTTER: A POEM FOR & ABOUT MISTER BIRDSONG" is a sarcastic poem and I LOVE sarcasm.
"Mister Birdsong" reminds me of pretentious politicians, and the royal family because many were born into wealth, and are far removed from everyday people or common citizens. The entire second stanza talks of self-promotion and the desire to control "who speaks, replies and receives." Birdsong is only surrounded by servants or yes people.
"His femm followers follow closely his every move and dropping. He's even followed when licking his spoon/ or eating out her liberal pan as she bows to the west." I have a feeling this line is layered with meaning but the first questions it brings up are:
Why are they"femm"? Would masculine followers be to threatening? Why a spoon is it a reference to the phrase..."being born with a silver spoon" in the mouth?
I especially love the last line because after the third stanza, she tells us the truth of Birdsong's state of being and his only true intention which is:
"...to keep his position of power over weaker bards."
Yet it closes with his complicated conditions regarding who he really respects...
"Birdsong is a man who wouldn't crush a cockroach, who'd share his last peanut butter sandwich with any homeless-but-cultured member of the subspecies."
Leaving a lot of questions, Venus, his sense of space is interesting and what you pick up from his life, disturbing. Let's go further!
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