I presented my first Kwansaba publicly at the Kwansaba Celebration for Amiri Baraka at the Sunshine Performing Arts Center, East St. Louis on February 18, 2014. Kwansaba is a poetic form created by Eugene B. Redmond and the EBR Writers Club in 1995. (Photo credit: Roscoe Crenshaw)
He was a genius with vision but
still a mortal man, flawed not fake
A custom gift for each he met
Light for those who sought the truth
Heat for those who needed a push
Fire for the enemies of the people
You would feel him and know it.
By Jamala Rogers © 2014