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because the sky is lighter than paper, a manifesto of feathers by Andre Bagoo



I.



blue because my wings are the bookman’s pages

blue because the island is holy, the wind high

blue as in azure as in cadmium as in noise

blue and black because kisses hurt

blue when they saw me, they saw us

blue the night we were walking home, josh, you and i, and the thugs

blue the night outside the art gallery when they chased us, unwing’d








II.



blue like mary’s robes

blue like the altar boy gown i wanted because it was fabulous

blue when they threw me out the church, and i dreamt of jesus truly

blue and the cherub has turned

blue and the angel has turned

blue into blue into kṛṣṇa

blue and i saw him one day in my dreams

blue shirt of blue school uniform

blue invisibility

blue, he touched my spine and flutes sang in me

blue, both mirror and mute





III.




blue the walls, the stones, the tomb

blue once, but now coolitude, créolité blue

blue indienocéanisme,

blue antillanité, négritude, batiment not batty man

blue for the way my heroes are dying but

blue mad for the second coming

blue veins on every cock i ever sucked

blue power, blue notes, the currency of

blue, melodies, you, rubber orchestras, true

blue blood & blue-collar &

blue scrubs fighting red coats

blue ink for blue manifestos of

blue feathers, disobedient walls, graffiti is

blue, jab molassie is

blue, and maybe—








the second coming


________________


Andre Bagoo is a Trinidadian poet and writer, the author of three poetry collections including BURN and Pitch Lake. His essay collection, The Undiscovered Country, is published by Peepal Tree Press.

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