I have a lot to say about Wanda Coleman's poems, but I'm leading the in-class discussion on her work, so I will wait for that. Instead, I would like to discuss Hannibal Tabu's ridiculously sensual and visceral lines.
Love poems are a dime a dozen. And many of them aren't worth the dime. But then I luck up on poems like Tabu's "As Yet Untitled" and I remember how it feels to be wooed with words. "As Yet Untitled" isn't just a love poem. It's an ode to his appreciation for the most cherished parts of this woman. But it's not merely a praise for her physical beauty. Tabu begins with:
Born from the belly of a loud-ass, redbone bayou woman,
you stand firm on the foundation of yourself
demand I let go tedious thoughts and be god.
Tabu acknowledges his lovers confidence and strong sense of self. Instead of being intimidated by her "firm foundation" he basks in the way that she makes him recognize his own greatness. She "demands" him to stop thinking idle, bothersome thoughts that don't serve him well. The entry into this poem is also kinda funny. It hints at a typical love/hate relationship that many men have with their significant others mom (that loud ass, redbone bayou woman), but clearly, he acknowledges her mom for passing down such self-esteem and love for self to her daughter.
Tabu continues his praise in the latter part of the first stanza:
To be in your presence, I must emerge unblemished from valleys of bat-wielding yesterdays.
To be worthy of your touch, need to recite your mantras in twelve tongues.
I am a man longing to attend perfection.
Here he is still speaking of the ways in which he must be a better man in order to fully deserve her. He has to redeem himself and heal from his past which may have been tumultuous and volatile.(bat-wielding??) The last line of the stanza strikes me. "I am a man longing to attend perfection" I read that in two ways. He is longing to be in the company of someone whom he upholds as his version of perfection OR he is longing to attain perfection himself so that he may truly be what she seems to deserve. Either way, she has worked a number on him!
Rub my shoulders with savior's hands.
Align me between your wings, teach me all the levels of your identity.
No shame drinking in your round the way curves.
Tabu starts to focus his gaze and appreciation outward on her beauty. But his way of doing so doesn't feel pervy r objectifying to me. "Align me between your wings, teach me all the levels of your identity" Tabu has game. This can be taken as a sexual innuendo, spread your wings (legs??) and allow me to explore all of you in depth. It sounds soooo much better here than other "come-ons" I have heard. Trust me. smh. And that last line shows how much attention he doesn't mind lavishing on her body as he admires her curves. I love his attention to detail. Her curves are "round the way". Meaning she isn't model-thin. She's curvy, voluptuous, an around-the-way kind of girl.
The following are my favorite lines:
See, you delivered me from ladies of carnelian soul,
rescued me from anxious nights, kisses of poison and infidelity.
It's you that balances my heavy scales.
I am a man longing for synchronicity.
Carnelian soul??? I love that reference. It's so unique. I have never heard anyone described that way but it sounds both tempting and completely dangerous at the same time. Is a woman with a carnelian soul evil? Sinful? Carnelian evokes images of deep red, which is equated with either love or evil/hell (go figure). The woman Tabu is writing about has saved him from those type of women. He is no longer caught up in meaningless acts of random sex. She has "tamed" him in a way. Yet, he is still secure in his manhood. "I am a man"...but now he wants balance, and he wants someone to work in unison with him.
I can go on and on and on about this poem.
The way to win you can't be found on web pages or in Sun Tzu...
it is written in the language of sacrifice.
Carved in forgotten runes along the bones of the left side of my body.
Teach me to remember.
Um...yes. To ALL of this. Who doesn't love someone who appreciates and acknowledges your worth. He is saying here that she is a diamond in the rough, and it's not easy to find her. He has to put in the work to get and keep her. I'm wondering if that third line is an elusive reference to Eve being carved out of Adam's rib...made for him. He wants her to teach him how to remember...what? Perhaps how to love. How to open. How to give and take. How to win her heart.
I just really love this poem. Tabu has such classically beautiful lines, but retains a bit of modern edginess that I can appreciate and relate to. I was fully drawn in to this one. And if someone ever writes a poem like this for me....it's a done deal. Signed, sealed, and delivered :)
I loved the carnelian soul reference as well! When one thinks about Carnelian it's usually a room, jewels, or a beautiful relic.
ReplyDeleteI love the points that you made, but I have to ask can a female with a Carnelian soul be sensuous as well?
-J
I think so. I think it depends on one's definition of sensual. I've known women who would possibly be described as having a carnelian soul, and they ooze sensuality. Im very fascinated with this phrase now.
ReplyDeleteChanel
ReplyDeletethank you for taking us through this poem with the compass on the interpretation of its movement in the narrator's understanding of his growth or his need to grow in the face of such power. It has a kind of stance that is firm in an experience both external and internal,
well done
e
Chanel,
ReplyDeleteYou are so funny! Thanks for mixing your humorous commentary in with this analysis. I do think he's a hit with the ladies given his "game" but it is possible that this girl really is the one for him.
I thought of LL Cool J's song when he mentioned the"round the way curves". I also think he's relating to Eve, as you mentioned, regarding the "carved in forgotten runes" line.
I hope someone writes you a poem like this or better too. You'll be smiling from ear to ear. LOL
-Venus
Loved this modern ode to a woman! Loved the way he convinces me he knows the value of a good woman. He is smooth and I agree LL and him can write the next big love song. But the most unique thing Tabu is doing in this poem is moving us between the days of carved runes to the days of round the way curves. From the beginning to now. He plays with time so well this love he feels for this woman becomes something that could have existed in different decades, it's timeless.
ReplyDeleteChanel, i am GONE at you squeezing the sex out of these poems, once more and again. HAHAHAHAHAHAH. In my day I have heard my share of *yawn* love poems, but my lady loving ass even appreciated this. It's not enough for me to just focus on the "heteronormativity" of this poem, but to also look at a Black man who celebrates Black women, and is careful to describe every inch of her without it being hypersexual, or denigrating. This is truly beautiful, and not focused on NEARLY enough in our society.
ReplyDelete"The woman Tabu is writing about has saved him from those type of women. He is no longer caught up in meaningless acts of random sex. She has "tamed" him in a way. Yet, he is still secure in his manhood." GO OFF. The painfully fragmented and fragile masculinities of Black men are often focused on as what material items/accessories make them "men", but here, he transcends that, and allows himself the breathing room to not have to prove his masculinity so intensely, as it's not a source of insecurity for him. Whenever this is highlighted in my vision, I believe we've collectively taken a step forward. Yes!!