Poem-a-Day - "Lenoir" by Jericho Brown

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
December 18, 2023 

Lenoir

Jericho Brown

My uncles are the tallest men I know.
Every doorway a chance to bow 
Their heads, they love the Lord.  
Skin so dark their last name is Lenoir.          
Imagine growing up Black 
In Louisiana with a name that French 
But only able to pass for night.  
By the time each one hits thirteen,                
He’s picked enough cotton for me 
To think of blisters when I wear 
A new shirt. At fourteen, he thinks 
Of six feet with nostalgia.  
When I was small, I’d walk 
Those fields with them in that sun.  
I’d tilt and tilt my head to find 
Their faces but end up blinded—
Too much light around 
The darkness up there. I saw 
Women see them. I’d see women 
Quake. I didn’t understand that 
My uncles were not gods. None
Of them seemed to fit in a chair. 
I mean I don’t think they ever 
Relaxed. Some men are so Black 
You can’t see them. Or you can’t 
Bear to look out of fear of not 
Measuring up. I’m only half an inch 
Over six feet. I am what this century 
Calls a man. When you think your job 
Is to look out for your baby sister,                
You show her kids how to look out 
For themselves. My baby sister has 
No kids. My uncles tell great stories.  
The Black man is always the hero. 
When one dies, we speak of him
In present tense—one gets murdered 
In Vietnam one gets shot
On Madison Avenue one elected 
City councilman a principal a deacon
A yellow school bus driver 
With bone cancer a man 
With more wives than children 
A deacon a man with more children 
Than he can remember a mason 
A deacon. I should mention 
The mean things they did.  
No grave is deep enough.  
The Black man is always the hero.  
He will walk you to the edge of a field, 
Squat close so you can hear him, 
And point, saying everything 
Your grandfather planted, everything 
His children reaped, all this is yours.
You have to grow 
Into it, your legs stretching out along 
The floor and farther beyond as you 
Fall asleep in the best chair you got.

Copyright © 2023 by Jericho Brown. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on December 18, 2023, by the Academy of American Poets. 

Subscribe to the Poem-a-Day Podcast 

  

“I’ve spent most of my life trying to write about my uncles and how they are in life what magical realism is in literature. I cannot think of them without thinking of the fact that Black men are a history of which I can be proud and to which I contribute.”
—Jericho Brown

Jericho Brown
Jericho Brown is the author of The Tradition (Copper Canyon Press, 2019), winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. The recipient of awards and fellowships from the Whiting Foundation, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts, he is the director of the creative writing program at Emory University in Atlanta.

The Tradition
The Tradition
(Copper Canyon Press, 2019)

“Grandfather” by A. Van Jordan
read more
“Tending” by Elizabeth Alexander
read more

Thanks to Claudia Rankine, author of Just Us: An American Conversation (Graywolf Press, 2021), who curated Poem-a-Day for this month’s weekdays. Read or listen to a Q&A about Rankine’s curatorial approach and find out more about our guest editors for the year.
“Poem-a-Day is brilliant because it makes space in the everyday racket for something as meaningful as a poem.” —Tracy K. Smith

If this series is meaningful to you, join the community of Poem-a-Day supporters by making a gift today. Now serving more than 320,000 daily subscribers, this publication is only possible thanks to the contributions of readers like you.
 
Copyright © 2023 The Academy of American Poets, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website.



Our mailing address is:
The Academy of American Poets
75 Maiden Lane
STE #901
New York, NY 10038

Add us to your address book


View this email in your browser

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from all Academy messages.

For any other questions, please visit the Poem-a-Day FAQ page.

Older messages

"Sheep in Winter" by John Clare

Sunday, December 17, 2023

The sheep get up and make their many tracks Facebook Twitter Instagram Poem-a-Day is reader-supported. Your gift today will help the Academy of American Poets continue to publish the work of 260 poets

"Winter" by Anne Bradstreet

Saturday, December 16, 2023

Cold, moist, young phlegmy winter Facebook Twitter Instagram Poem-a-Day is reader-supported. Your gift today will help the Academy of American Poets continue to publish the work of 260 poets each year,

"Solstice in Truro" by Joshua Weiner

Friday, December 15, 2023

Teaching term done, Facebook Twitter Instagram Support Poem-a-Day December 13, 2023 Solstice in Truro Joshua Weiner Teaching term done, I keep my laptop shut A chill in the air runs under weak June sun

Join us tomorrow for Gather in Poems

Friday, December 15, 2023

Join us on December 14 for a virtual reading featuring poets from our community Join us tomorrow for Gather in Poems, an evening of readings hosted in the spirit of gratitude, featuring: Elizabeth

Join us tomorrow for Gather in Poems

Friday, December 15, 2023

December 13, 2023 Join us tomorrow at 7 pm ET for Gather in Poems, an evening of readings by Academy Chancellors and beloved poets in the community, hosted in the spirit of gratitude and a shared hope

You Might Also Like

*This* Is How To Wear Skinny Jeans Like A Fashion Girl In 2025

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

The revival is here. The Zoe Report Daily The Zoe Report 3.11.2025 This Is How To Wear Skinny Jeans Like A Fashion Girl In 2025 (Style) This Is How To Wear Skinny Jeans Like A Fashion Girl In 2025 The

The Best Thing: March 11, 2025

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

The Best Thing is our weekly discussion thread where we share the one thing that we read, listened to, watched, did, or otherwise enjoyed recent… ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

The Most Groundbreaking Beauty Products Of 2025 Are...

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Brands are prioritizing innovation more than ever. The Zoe Report Beauty The Zoe Report 3.11.2025 (Beauty) The 2025 TZR Beauty Groundbreakers Awards (Your New Holy Grail Or Two) The 2025 TZR Beauty

Change Up #Legday With One of These Squat Variations

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

View in Browser Men's Health SHOP MVP EXCLUSIVES SUBSCRIBE Change Up #Legday With One of These Squat Variations Change Up #Legday With One of These Squat Variations The lower body staple is one of

Kylie Jenner Wore The Spiciest Plunging Crop Top While Kissing Timothée Chalamet

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Plus, Amanda Seyfried opens up about her busy year, your daily horoscope, and more. Mar. 11, 2025 Bustle Daily Amanda Seyfried at the Tory Burch Fall RTW 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion

Paris Fashion Week Is Getting Interesting Again

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Today in style, self, culture, and power. The Cut March 11, 2025 PARIS FASHION WEEK Fashion Is Getting Interesting Again Designs at Paris Fashion Week once again reflect the times with new aesthetics,

Your dinner table deserves to be lazier

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

NY delis are serving 'Bird Flu Bailout' sandwiches. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Sophie Thatcher Lets In The Light

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Plus: Chet Hanks reaches new heights on Netflix's 'Running Point.' • Mar. 11, 2025 Up Next Your complete guide to industry-shaping entertainment news, exclusive interviews with A-list

Mastering Circumstance

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

“If a man does not master his circumstances then he is bound to be mastered by them.” ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Don't Fall for This Parking Fee Scam Text 🚨

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

How I Use the 'One in, One Out' Method for My Finances. You're not facing any fines. Not displaying correctly? View this newsletter online. TODAY'S FEATURED STORY Don't Fall for the