Behold, B. Hargette

INSPIRED BY THOSE WHO CREATE

(Or, if I had to write a Black artist’s manifesto, it might go something like this…)

Because we were born into a creative tradition; and

Because our ancestors understood the role of art in the reclamation of our humanity from those who would deny it; and

Because we honor those who gave their lives so that we might be able to dream fully; and

Because we teach the world that dreaming is a prerequisite to freedom, and freedom must first be imagined; and

Because, just as the ones who came before us loved us before they knew us, we create to show future generations a reimagined world, which honors their existence; and

Because we claim our right to live by our art AND assert its worth beyond economic valuation; and

Because we believe God calls us to spread love through our creativity, and we seek to live obediently; and

Because we know that love is necessary to realize our full human potential; and

For these and many other reasons, we are Black artists.

i give myself five days to forget you.

on the first day i rust.

on the second i wilt.

on the third day i sit with friends but i think about your tongue.

i clean my room on the fourth day. i clean my body on the fourth day.

i try to replace your scent on the fourth day.

the fifth day, i adorn myself like the mouth of an inmate.

a wedding singer dressed in borrowed gold.

the midas of cheap metal.

tinsel in the middle of summer.

crevice glitter, two days after the party.

i glow the way unwanted things do,

a neon sign that reads;

come, i still taste like someone else’s mouth.