Catechisms are a set of questions and answers used as instruction for Christians in the principles of the religion.

This line may suggest that poetry is an escape from all things bad.

This might suggest that poetry covers all topics. even ones that people are often told to stay away from.

Propriety is conformity to standards and morals.

Myopic is another word for being nearsighted.

A heretic is a person who practices beliefs contrary to orthodox religious doctrine.

This line suggests the poetry is promiscuous.

This line may imply that no one wants to hear poetry in a serious or legal situation.

Prudence means to act with thought or care.

Wearing a feather in your cap typically is used to signify a great accomplishment or achievement.

The color red has a very sexual connotation, and the addition of the perfume may suggest that poetry tries to draw people in for sexual encounters.

Fermenting is the process in which alcohol is created.

Showing your feet can be considered very rude manners.

A taboo is a social or religious custom prohibiting a certain action or association with specific people, objects, or customs.

Guerrilla warfare is a tactic using small and mobile forces against larger, immobile forces. The word “guerrilla” comes from the spanish word for war "guerra".

A tyrant is a cruel or oppressive leader.

An ideology is a way of thought, typically of economic or political nature.

The "calling" is a reference to the title. This may imply that "The Wild" thing in this poem is poetry itself.

This refers to the place of afterlife in Christian religion.

Strictures are things that limit or constrain the breathing passage. This loving persona seems to be suggesting that, by taking their love away from their lover, they lose their ability to live or breath. They become still and practically nonliving, like "a drunken lizard" in the noon sun.

The persona may have gone through a break-up with their lover, but still feels attached to them. thus, they would like to find a way to come back together to "re-love" one another eventually.

Redmond lists two people as sources of inspiration for this poem: famous playwright William Shakespeare and American singer William "Smokey" Robinson. Smokey Robinson was the founder, lead, songwriter, and producer for the popular Motown vocal group The Miracles. He would eventually go solo in 1973 while spending more time as the vice president of Motown Records. Robinson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

Apparition is another word for a ghost of ghostly figure.

Limbo is an allusion to the Roman Catholic concept of an intermediate space after death between heaven or hell. Redmond uses this reference to illustrate the uncertainty and wandering the speaking persona would be in if they could "unlove" their lover.

Inserting himself into the poem as the "i", Redmond seems to be expressing a certain empathy for the people murdered at My Lai by connecting their massacre with the continued interior racial struggles within American society.

Redmond's unconventional use of the negative seems to mirror some of the works of Shakespeare and Robinson. In Shakespeare's Sonnet 130, the persona is in love and works against the Elizabethan tradition of describing a lover's beauty in hyperbolic fashion. In Sonnet 130, the persona directly goes against this norm and uses the negative to essentially "humanize" his lover. In one of Robinson's most famous songs, "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" (1962), the lyrics use the negative in a way that is unusual for love songs. For example, the first stanza contains the lines "I don't like you but I love you/ Seems that I'm always thinking of you/ Oh, you treat me badly/I love you madly".

Redmond ends his poem by showing America in a larger sense 'plead the 5th' and avoid responsibility for its cruelties. The 5th Amendment of the American Bill of Rights states, "No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury..." Fourteen officers were eventually charged for the events at My Lai, but only Lieutenant William Calley, the platoon leader of Charlie Company, was actually convicted. He served three and a half years under house arrest.

Here, Redmond may be referencing a character from American folklore named Shine, who was a Black worker aboard the Titanic and the only survivor to swim his way to shore. In the folk tradition, Shine warns of the ship's impending disaster but is ignored. Redmond's continuation of this line– "on deck of the mind"– may also be alluding to the radio of a Naval ship.

Redmond's emphasis on the distance between Vietnam and the United States explores how long it took for the My Lai Massacre to enter the American conscience. The massacre was initially covered up, and did not reach the press until 1969.

Redmond's phallic imagery here refers to both the rape and gang-rape of women and children at My Lai as well as the "spark[ing]" machine guns and artillery.

Redmond's references to rice throughout the poem– "rice-thin", "rice wine", and "grains" here– may be included to remind the reader that My Lai was a small agricultural village with a population of mostly farmers.

Redmond may be speaking of not only the fragmentation of North and South Vietnam, but also of the ideological fragmentation in the United States; many were against the Vietnam War while others were in support of it and its overall Western goals.

Redmond's "undeclared causes" may be referring to the idea of the Vietnam War being a proxy for the Cold War, an ideological struggle between the influences of Western Capitalism and its ideals vs. the Eastern values of Communism and Marxism.

Redmond's image may allude to the small underground cave systems used by guerrilla Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War; American soldiers nicknamed "tunnel rats" were charged with searching and destroying the contents of these tunnels, both humans and munitions alike.

Redmond refers to American armaments as "branchless / mechanical trees" and the villagers massacred by those arms as "unregenerative crops" which have died and will never live again. Redmond's plant imagery here may also refer to Agent Orange, which was a deadly chemical herbicide dropped by American aircraft during the war in order to poison people and their food supplies. The use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War was part of a strategic war program called "Operation Ranch Hand."

Redmond may be turning the very American image of "barbeque", often associated with the Fourth of July, on its head here. The word emphasizes how the massacre was a product of American ideals and intervention. Additionally, many lynchings of African Americans were cruelly and flippantly referred to as "barbeques" by their perpetrators; in this word choice, Redmond begins to establish a shared experience between the victims at My Lai and the Black victims of racial violence throughout American history.

Many bodies were also mutilated by American soldiers during the My Lai Massacre.

The My Lai Massacre took place on March 16th, 1968, when American soldiers in Charlie Company murdered well over 300 men, women, and children. Many of the woman and children were also raped by members of Charlie Company.

My Lai is a small hamlet in South Vietnam, in the Quang Ngaio province, which was invaded during the Vietnam War under suspicion of being a center for Viet Cong forces. The village and its surrounding area was referred to as "Pinkville" by American forces.

Here "Cong" refers to the Viet Cong, or the National Liberation Front, which was the Vietnamese Nationalist Communist opposition in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

The speaker may be suggesting physical danger or emotional danger of not being able to separate herself from her partner.

The speaker may suggest to be having some struggle with drug or alcohol use and whatever sexual act she is participating in, should be kept a secret but isn’t.

Here the speaker seems to be so overwhelmed by what is happening that she blocks out any words her partner might be saying and does not care to hear them.

“distance,” “years,” and “dying” may be literal barriers or just represent a long period of time—the way time has traveled.

This line may suggest that some kind of sexual activity is occurring.

This line confirms that the poem is written from a woman's perspective.

voodoo or witchcraft; Hoodoo began as an African American religion and lost its religious status after the 1880s. Hoodoo beliefs are naturalistic and believed to be folk magic. (Ed Moorhouse (Rutgers 2013): African American Hoodoo: More Than Magic)

The title may suggest fighting against some sort of force. The force could be simply the speaker's own body. The tittle could mean the speaker is fighting against her own body's wants for a sexual experience.

a factual or written account of important or historical events in the order of their occurrence; Using the word “chronical” in this line may suggest that the poem is set up in chronological order of Osbey’s coming of age and how Nina Simone affected her at each phase of her life.

These four lines may suggest how Osbey and other African Americans did not appreciate Nina Simone and her efforts. Osbey seems to be aware of her dishonor to Nina Simone and wishes more people of color were aware of how radical Nina Simone was during the Civil Rights Movement.

This may suggest that the speaker is reminding the readers that this poem is directly for Nina Simone.

The speaker admits to feeling no shame for not honoring Nina Simone properly when she was younger. But now, Osbey realizes what an important role Nina Simone played in the Civil Rights Movement.

This line is repeated again, but this time italicized. In this case, it may suggest that in that particular moment Nina Simone had independent agency and reminded her people of their betrayal of not honoring her.

“their” could represent the people of color who did not always believe in Nina Simone’s efforts because she was a woman. African Americans also failed to represent their own people simply because of gender. Osbey may have included this line to show how ignorant it was for people to ignore such radical things Nina Simone was doing because of her gender.

15 lines staring with “if.” These lines may suggest a calling for African Americans to connect with these words and see where they fit in. It also makes the audience feel that they are not alone with what is happening to them. Many people of color are experiencing the same thing—discrimination.

These two lines are italicized to show significance—the speaker is directly asking Nina Simone where she is. This is important because there was a time where Nina Simone did stop singing and she moved to Liberia in the mid-1970s. She moved here, disappointed by the deaths of Martin Luther King Jr and Malcom X, along with other African American artists in search of black consciousness. (Danielle Jackson: Nina Simone's Three Years of Freedom)

These three places are not capitalized. These three cities are very significant during the Civil Rights Movement.

Here the speaker is asking specifically what Nina Simone wore when she was performing in New Orleans. This may suggest that the speaker is questioning if Nina Simone has changed since her leave in Liberia. Because Osbey mentions dashikis, afros, and cornrows, she may want the audience to understand the types of cultural things that were evident in African American’s lives including Nina Simone's.

This is a repeated question that the speaker is directly asking Nina Simone. This is italicized and in quotes representing the past when Osbey figuratively asked Nina Simone this question when she heard her on the radio.

This is the title of Nina Simone’s album. It is known as one of her best works. This is also the only phrase that is capitalized in the entire poem. This may suggest the significance of the album title it had on both the speaker and Nina Simone’s life and the immense respect Osbey has for Nina Simone, since “i” is not even capitalized.

"cambridge” is not capitalized and it is also a city in eastern England. Osbey says she heard Nina Simone on the radio when she was visiting England.

The italics here may suggest Osbey speaking in the present. It seems that she is literally asking Nina Simone this question. It could also be directed at African American people who conformed to the "right" way of living and forgot about their fight to gain equality.

a person who lives outside of their native country; Including this word in the poem may suggest how people of color felt like outcasts in America. They felt they did not belong because of the color of their skin.

Osbey may have put this line in quotes to represent her own speaking but in the past. She recalls herself saying this and repeats it now realizing it was “foolish.” She now realizes how radical Nina Simone was but not taken seriously due to her being a woman.

This phrase could suggest that Osbey and other African Americans did not appreciate all of Nina Simone’s efforts in the Civil Rights Movement. Even though her work was very radical, she was dismissed because she was a woman.

The italics and quotes represent that someone new is speaking. In this case, this quote may suggest that Osbey recalls a specific conversation in which someone gives her this advice.

It was very common during this time to smoke. It was part of the normal day routine to smoke cigarettes, even young teens. Including this in the poem may just suggest the rebellious side of Osbey when she was coming of age.

The italics and quotes represent that someone else is speaking. The speaker refers to Nina Simone as a “sister” which was a slang term used during the Civil Rights Movement that created a community in which they all were fighting for equal rights.

None of these places are capitalized, however, they are all significant because the Civil Rights Movement is not just a fight in America, but a fight all across the world. People of color are struggling globally to be seen as equals and Osbey recognizes that in this poem.

These lines may suggest that African American women felt that white men were dangerous, whether it be sexually or not.

The “you” is directed right to Nina Simone. The speaker believes Simone was in her glory—meaning past tense. This may suggest that Nina Simone has stopped fighting or stopped singing.

“france” is not capitalized. France is significant to Nina Simone’s life because she moves there when she begins to struggle with mental illnesses and dies there in April of 2003.

Marceline could be Osbey’s “soul sister” that she is referring to in the poem.

Repetition of these lines may emphasize the significance of the color violet and the meaning behind it—being spiritual and imaginative or the struggles of coming of age as a African American woman.

It is very common for young people to believe that they do know it all. Adding this line may suggest that Osbey is remembering times where she may have not appreciated all of what Nina Simone and other civil rights activists were doing to gain equality.

Because these two lines are in quotations but not italicized, it could infer that Osbey is recalling a time where she herself was speaking. When she was a younger girl, this is how she roll-called her friends and including this in the poem may suggest how important she thought of her friends, since she referred to them as “soul sisters.” In addition, Nina Simone helped signify the term “soul” as a “flexible yet powerful marker of black identity.” (Emily J. Lordi (2016) Souls Intact)

This is another type of hairstyle traditionally worn by people of color. Adding this word in the poem further shows the culture of African Americans that Osbey is trying to portray; the idea that people of color should be proud of their true blackness and embrace all of their culture.

Dashikis are loose, colorful, vibrant shirts originally from West Africa. Afros are a type of hairstyle that people of color wore often. Having these styles in the poem may suggest that Osbey is trying to paint a picture in the reader’s mind of what people of color may have looked like or dressed like during these time periods. This shows their culture and their true blackness.

Women of color were being sexualized constantly during this time, so young girls had to learn the difference between when they were going too far or just having fun. Their appearance and reputation mattered more than women of noncolor.

"we” can mean African American people and the narrator is suggesting that Nina Simone being on the evening news means that she had to do something big that would attract such notice. She played a huge role in the Civil Rights Movement, therefore, when Osbey says “we were on the evening news” it could suggest that Nina Simone represents the entire African American community.

This could just be the name of a childhood friend of Obsey's that listened to Nina Simone on the radio with her.

These phrases are slang words used by African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement. Including them in the poem may suggest that there was a sense of family or community of people of color all fighting for their rights.

These four lines are italicized to show someone different is talking. The new speaker, Osbey recalls from a past conversation, seems to be telling the girls (Osbey’s younger self) to stop worrying about their looks and boys and listen to Nina Simone’s music which brings light to the Civil Rights Movement and their fight for equality.

It was very common for women of color to be hypersexualized. For example, the jezebel and the mammy. Nina Simone was not always recognized for how radical she was simply because she was a woman.

Osbey does not capitalize any of the “i’s.” This may suggest that she is not very self-absorbed with her thoughts, but more concerned with trying to portray Nina Simone’s thoughts or puts Nina Simone at a much higher stance that she may believe her own self of “i” is not as significant.

Brenda Marie Osbey does not capitalize New Orleans, but this is one of the many cities where the Civil Rights Movement was very active. Because Nina Simone was apart of this movement, including this setting might suggest that she was a participant in events in New Orleans. It is also important to note that Osbey grew up in New Orleans.

lacking character or individuality; using this word may suggest that Nina Simone entertained her audience and they liked her music, but they did not fully grasp her message behind the songs.

fail to remember it; The phrase “i disremember” is italicized and in quotations which could represent a new speaker. This speaker could perhaps be an audience member of one of Nina Simone’s performances and does not remember the reasoning behind her singing and simply just enjoyed the entertainment aspect.

The color violet represents imagination and spirituality. It creates a balance of the physical and spiritual energies within someone. Violet assists those seeking the meaning of life and spiritual fulfillment. It could also represent the fictional novel The Color Purple, written by Alice Walker, that describes the coming of age of a young African American girl who is abused and raped by her own father. This may suggest some of the struggles young African American people go through because of their color.

(1933-2003); Nina Simone is known as an author, civil rights activist, singer and pianist. She was a legendary jazz, blues and folk performer and trained at Julliard School of Music. Nina Simone is her stage name and her performances won over fans such as Langston Hughes, Lorraine Hansberry, and James Baldwin. In the mid-1960s she became the voice of the Civil Rights Movement, writing a song titled "Mississippi Goddamn" in response to the Birmingham church bombing that killed four young African American girls. She settled down in France and struggled with severe mental health issues. Nina Simone died at the age of 70 from breast cancer on April 21, 2003 at her home in France.

This line may be included to keep with the sexual tone of the poem, but it could suggest that even after death, the lovers' bodies will still want to be with each other.

a magic charm, talisman, or spell; Including this word may suggest that the speaker is under some sort of spell and cannot get herself away from her partner.

There has been no capitalization in this poem, including “i.” This may suggest the lack of Osbey’s self within the poem or that the speaker feels to be at a lower stance than her partner.

This may represent a cemetery, since the speaker has mentioned death multiple times within the poem.

This line suggests that the speaker feels guilty for what she is participating in; she might be doing something she shouldn’t be doing or is forbidden.

Baobab trees are used to create a powder used in traditional medicine

Many African tribes weave clothes out of Baobab tree fibers

Baobab trees produce large fruit that acts as a vital source of food and water for many tribes and species of animals in Africa

Bees is capitalized, which may be because they are an extension of the tree, or it could also be that it is capitalized due to being the first word of a new sentence

This references how the Baobab tree is viewed as a source of fertility in certain African cultures

Adansonia Digitata, a species of Baobab tree found throughout sub-Saharan Africa produces white flowers

As the subject changes from “Tree-Mother” to “we” words are no longer capitalized, signifying how the tree is of greater importance and the main subject of the poem

Benjamin Banneker assisted in the surveying of Washington D.C.

Baobab trees have root like branches, making it appear as if they have roots in the sky

This line references the slave trade, with the alien shore being a reference to America. Benjamin Banneker was an outspoken critic of slavery and wrote letters to Thomas Jefferson voicing his opposition to the institution.

The poem takes the form of a praise poem, a form where the subject of the poem, in this case the subject being the “Tree-Mother”, is offered admiration by the speaker

“Baobab”is the name the genus of trees Adansonia, found throughout Africa, Madagascar, Australia, and the Arabian peninsula

Benjamin Banneker famously constructed a functioning clock when he was young

Benjamin Banneker published an Almanac featuring his astronomical calculations along with his opinions on various topics

Banneker’s almanac did include his calculations on what times the sun would rise, but this has a second meaning of referring to the future Banneker saw for African Americans

Benjamin Banneker was a free Black astronomer and mathematician born in 18th century Maryland

This suggests that the “you” is the one with the hunger that is “not his own.”

This returns to the topic of butter in the first line but also reinforces the idea of hunger with figurative language.

This image of being choked may be alluding to the overall violence in slavery with the abuse and death of African Americans.

This suggests an inability to provide for others despite a desire to, especially in the context of family or a loved one.

This is the only statement in the poem. It is followed by questions that suggest images of the past and the South. Also, according to L.V. Anderson in “All Churned Around,” the poor and enslaved people drank buttermilk for its high fat and caloric content.

The questions throughout the poem suggest an attempt to understand the subject or audience’s knowledge. Editor Yolanda Page in Encyclopedia of African American Women Writers describes one of the common themes of Opal Moore’s poetry as exhibiting “the power of communication between generations” (421). In the context of this poem, that idea suggests that this may be a younger generation asking questions about the experiences of an older generation.

This suggests having to wait to eat and may be referencing the days of slavery in needing to serve the slave master first.

This may indicate the attempt of the speaker to convince themselves of what they want to see in the death of “sister”

The title suggests there is a connection between food and generations through a taste of the past and wanting to satisfy hunger.

In keeping with the representation of Zeus through the lightning rods, the lightning hammer may be representing the the God Thor of Norse Mythology.

Some denominations of Christianity do not believe in the use of modern medicine to heal sicknesses. Instead they rely on prayer for their healing power.

“His Eye is on the Sparrow is a gospel hymn written in 1905. The song emphasizes the reliance on Jesus and God for all things and forgetting one’s troubles.

This may indicate that it was blasphemy because she was a woman believing herself to be a tool of God.

The slash that separates God and man may be to emphasize the control that men have over women. In this way, Moore may be trying to show that the death was caused by man’s need to control women. Yolanda Page’s evaluation of Moore portrays this as well: “Moore’s poetry struggles between the redemptive power of Christianity and its historical repression of women’s voices” (421).

The reference to lightning rods may be indicating an emphasis on other religions through a representation of the Greek God, Zeus.

This may be referencing the birth of Jesus.

This may be a reference to the Bible in which misfortunes are portrayed as trials for individuals, such as with the life of Job.

This is a prose poem divided into seven paragraph-form stanzas. The lack of pronouns before “Sister” may indicate that this is not the speaker’s sister but instead, for a fellow woman. The idea of this poem being directed to women in general is reinforced by Yolanda Page: “Moore’s uncollected published poetry, from 1985 to 1999, serves to speak women’s voices into fields where they were not welcome” (421). Yolanda Page mentions only of Moore’s dedication to amplifying the female voice, not the origins of her poetry being rooted in the experiences of specific individuals. Additionally, Moore wrote multiple poems that are collected into Lot’s Daughters which reference “sister” without a pronoun attached, such as: “A Woman’s Virtue: Sister I Need to Hear You Sing That Song” and “Benediction: His Eye is on the Sparrow.”

Chicken fat is left over from the cooking process and is generally reused for other dishes. It is a common ingredient to add flavor. This may indicate that the speaker is calling the women’s attentions common.

As this immediately follows God/man, this may suggest a belief that there is a higher power above God.

A death certificate

Along with the war imagery in this stanza, these lines seem to suggest that the narrator feels an injustice is happening to her body through breast removal.

The poem itself is written in free verse and uses no capitalization. The repeated non-capitalization of “I”, along with the thematic elements, suggests that the narrator is experiencing disidentification with herself and her body after a mastectomy.

This line compares fighting cancer to fighting in a war. This comparison may also be referencing that Black women in the U.S. have a 31% breast cancer mortality rate, the highest mortality rate among ethnic and racial categories in the U.S.

These lines reference having a mastectomy, an operation where a breast is removed, typically to treat breast cancer.

Both names in this poem, Rebecca and Jim, appear in another one of E. Ethelbert Miller’s poems, “The Light On Rebecca’s Breast,” which is also about breast cancer and its effect on romantic relationships.

This line may be referencing the resistance to Apartheid in South Africa and the Nicaraguan Revolution, contributing to the imagery of violence within this stanza. These are also both locations within the African Diaspora.

The Holy Quran is the principal religious text of Islam.

The poem suggests that this “I” is from the perspective of a woman with breast cancer, pondering the aftermath of surgery.

Arab is an ethno-linguistic category, referring to peoples that speak Arabic as their native tongue. This line might be insinuating that Omar and his father are African American rather than Arab. Many Black Americans embraced Islam in the 60s and 70s as a form of Black nationalism or separatism. Famous examples of this include activist Malcolm X, boxer Muhammad Ali, and poets Amiri Baraka and Haki Madhubuti.

This line seems to reference the earlier lines where the narrator’s mother tells him to leave the house with clean underwear and socks without holes.

This poem may be titled Rebecca after E. Ethelbert Miller’s mother-in-law, Rebecca Lou King, whom he has other poems dedicated to, such as “Happiness Should Leap From A Dream.” At the 1994 Furious Flower Conference, Miller dedicates this poem to June Jordan, a poet, essayist, and activist, who was diagnosed with breast cancer and passed away from cancer complications in 2002.

Incense is used in many religious practices in Islam and is often a staple in Muslim households, as according to one of the hadiths of the Prophet, angels love fragrant scents.

This line may be referencing the magic carpet from Aladdin, a folktale found in One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights). Aladdin is debatably the best known tale from One Thousand and One Nights, despite not being in the original Arabic text. The story of Aladdin was later added by Antoine Galland, a Frenchman, and this line in the poem may be referencing western perceptions of Islam and Arab identities.

This stanza switches from strong Islamic imagery to Christian imagery. In doing so, Miller might be juxtaposing a disconnect with Christianity in the speaker and a peaked interest in Islam.

Muslims use prayer rugs in order to separate the person praying from the ground and create a clean space, as wudu (cleansing and purification) must be performed before prayer. They are often decorated with patterns and shapes, which may be what the speaker means by “nice.”

The use “good hair” and “bad hair” refers to the belief that straight hair that aligns with white beauty ideals is “good hair” and that traditionally Afro-textured hair is “bad hair.” This concept also often relates to the issue of Colorism and there has been significant pushback against the term “bad hair,” with the Black is Beautiful movement and overall embracing of natural hair.

In Islam, actions of honor and importance are meant to be started with the right hand, whereas actions deemed the opposite are supposed to be started with the left hand. This is because the right hand is associated with honor and nobility.

Considering that E. Ethelbert Miller typically writes from a Black perspective, this line may insinuate that Omar is also Black, or that the speaker is extending solidarity from the Black community to the Muslim community.

In some Muslim households, there may be areas where the furniture is cleared out in order to make room for prayer mats.

The repeated imagery of the speaker’s socks having holes in them may be referencing the act of Masah in Islam, which is the ritual cleaning of the feet, followed immediately by putting on socks. Masah is forbidden if the socks have holes in them, requiring socks that can be walked in for three miles without tearing.

Salaam alaikum, or as-salamu alaykum, means “Peace be upon you” in Arabic and is used as a greeting among those of Muslim faith.

The use of the word samurai, 12th century Japanese military officers that often make an appearance in popular media, may insinuate that the speaker associates removing shoes with Asian cultures.

This line may be referencing Muhammad Speaks, the official newspaper of the Nation of Islam, a Black Muslim political movement, during the 60s and 70s.

Omar is a reoccurring childhood Muslim figure in E. Ethelbert Miller’s poetry, appearing in other works such as “Looking for Omar,” where Miller tackles anti-Muslim sentiment after 9/11. E. Ethelbert Miller stated in his reading of this poem at the 1994 Furious Flower Conference that Omar is the speaker’s “introduction to Islam.”

This line appears to reference Omar’s Muslim identity, as shoes are often taken off at the front door or before walking on carpet in Muslim households. While it is not prohibited for Muslims to wear shoes in the house, shoes are seen as unclean in Islam. Believers are required to remove their shoes before prayer and wearing shoes in mosque is forbidden.

Throughout the poem, Madhubuti emphasizes the monotony and inaction of "waiting" by repeating the word or a form of it some 80 times. He also plays with vernacular by moving in and out of it throughout the poem. For example, he drops and adds the "g" to create "waitin" and "waiting."

The use of the phrase "universal art" may be a dig at a common critique of the Black Arts Movement that its resulting art was not 'universal enough.'

The Johnny Carson Show ran from 1955 to 1956. Later, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ran from 1962 to 1992. Beloved by many, the late night talk show and its host were central to American television sets across the country. Carson's work is one of the most culturally influential shows of the century.

Here, Madhubuti points to the economic disparities between the predominantly African American communities told to "wait" and the generally white, affluent communities or "non-waiters."

Madhubuti comments on the general plight of low-income communities, particularly Black communities, and how that "waiting" has always been the case and never the solution.

Madhubuti expands the "waiting" of African American communities into world issues of the time period in order to demonstrate the inefficacy of "waiting." For instance, in the early 1990s, Sudan experienced a harsh famine, and across the late 20th century industrial air-pollutants released across the globe were causing environmentally detrimental acidic Ph levels in rainfall.

Madhubuti refers to one of the first instances of "waiting" as the enslavement of African Americans for over 200 years.

Here, Madhubuti may be referencing the crack cocaine epidemic that ravaged American communities, particularly African American communities, between the 1980s and 1990s.

The Black Arts Movement in particular was a stage for the influx and experimentation with various Eastern philosophies; many of the movement's central figures, such as Amiri Baraka, were outspoken Marxists, Communists, and Socialists.

Madhubuti begins his poem by listing different ways one can be told to "wait." This inclusion may be intended to serve as a sort of warning for readers, so that they can recognize when they are being pushed into complacency.

Here Madhubuti aligns the politics of the White House– located on Pennsylvania Avenue– with the politics of the white apartheid government of South Africa. Apartheid, or racial segregation sanctioned by the South African government, was practiced by the country from the late 1940's until the early 1990's, making the commingling of whites and Blacks effectively illegal.

Madhubuti founded Third World Press in 1967, dedicated to the publication of African American literature of cultural significance. It is one of the longest-running and largest Black-owned presses in the country. In 1967, Madhubuti also wrote Think Black, and later, his acclaimed full-length collection of poetry, Don't Scream, Cry, in 1969.

As in many of his poems, Madhubuti spells "afrikans" with a K in order to decolonize the English word used to describe the continent of his heritage.

The Nation of Islam, an African American religious and political movement that came about in tandem with the Black Arts Movement and Black Nationalism, supported vegetarianism as one of the most virtuous ways to sustain the body.

Booker T. Washington's (1856-1915) "The Atlanta Compromise" may be one of the early forms of "waiting" Madhubuti has in mind in this poem. In the compromise, Washington proposed an eventual assimilation of African Americans into society post-emancipation; African Americans would take on the basic, blue collar jobs of society under a white government, with the condition that education and equal rights were guaranteed for future generations of African Americans.

Similar to the "k" in Afrika, Haki Madhubuti's name change is a type of reclamation. Often, the English names of African Americans are hold-overs from the era of slavery in early American history; to rename oneself is a way of reestablishing a connection Afrikan heritage, showing pride in this connection, and reaffirming the self.

Madhubuti's title, "The Great Wait," refers to the recurring suggestion given by white and Black conservatives over the course of centuries of African American oppression and disenfranchisement, that African Americans must wait for their freedom.

Richard Wright (1908-1960) was an African American author, short story writer and Black communist from Natchez, Mississippi. One of his most famous works, Native Son (1940), focusses on the struggles of a African-American youth from Chicago's South Side.

Despite its innovations, the Black Arts Movement also experienced what was described as a 'liberal backlash' from predominantly white institutions and former allies because of the movement's association with Black separatism and radical Marxism.

George Jackson (1941-1971) was an incarcerated political activist, author, and cofounder of the Black Guerrilla Family, which was based in Maoist and Marxist thought. In 1970, Jackson wrote Soledad Brother: The Prison Letters of George Jackson. He was shot and killed from a guard tower after attempting an armed prison escape in 1971.

Haki Madhubuti served in the U.S. Army from 1960 to 1963.

Considered the "second renaissance" after the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Arts Movement was an explosion of Black culture, literature, and Black-owned creative institutions and businesses in the 1960's and 70's. Madhubuti was central to this movement.

A psychiatrist and political activist from the island of Martinique, Frantz Fanon (1925-1961) was a revolutionary author whose work focussed on post-colonialism, decolonization, and Marxism. Fanon's book, The Wretched of the Earth (1961) was often referred to as the bible of the Black Power Movement.

By spelling "Afrika" with a K, Madhubuti specifically acknowledges that "Africa" is the continent's anglicized and colonized given name. The reclaimed K in "Afrika" is for Afrikans, and makes the poem's space an Afrikan one.

A central figure in the Black Power movement, Malcolm X (1925-1965) was both controversial and influential for his outspoken Black Nationalism and work in the civil rights era. He was assassinated in 1965.

Madhubuti's decision to become a writer and the ensuing mental separation from his family and peers seems to be mirrored by the physical separation of his incarcerated brother.

Miles Davis (1926-1991), an American jazz trumpeter, was one of the most influential sounds and figures in American music at large. Jazz music and its relatives were also a primary influencer in the literature of the Black Arts Movement.

Originally Donald Luther Lee, Haki Madhubuti changed his name after visiting Africa in 1974. Swahili-derived names, Haki means "justice" and Madhubuti means "precise, accurate, and dependable."

Madhubuti's use of the colloquialism "strange weather" may point to his family and peer's misunderstanding of him as well as the incoming cultural impact of the Black Arts Movement on the horizon.

In these lines, Madhubuti may be gesturing to a larger point about how his breaking the familial norm by becoming a writer and engaging with Afrikan roots has created a paradox in his early life; while bringing Madhubuti closer to an idea of self and sense of Blackness, it also drives a wedge between him and his family.

Haki Madhubuti's lack of capitalization, extensive use of enjambment, and rap-like run-on delivery in this poem are evidence of his rule-breaking of the traditional poetic mechanics and technique.

The title of Madhubuti's poem may be a wink to the 1962 film, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, in which an unhinged former child star neglects and tries to hide her paralyzed sister in a series of efforts to regain fame.

Refers to all her ancestors

Jesus Christ is commonly referred to as the lamb from John 1:29, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world"

The experience of being of on a slave ship in the Middle Passage is often referenced as death in literature because it was so treacherous.

Also a reference to Christ because he is the lion and the lamb, but this particular line says "lioness" which is a girl lion, thus elevating the status of Phillis Wheatley to the divine.

She is explaining isn't that mad that she was being used because anything was better than being just a body on a boat.

Mascot could refer to the fact that, "The Wheatley family would often flaunt Phillis' skills in front of company," showing her off for her literary talents. The Wheatley family is who sponsored all of Phillis's poetry publications.

Metaphor, that could mean her black identity was too strong to be covered up by trying to write like a white person as the Wheatley family, white publishers, and white readers would want.

This could be referring to John Wheatley thinking he was doing good by helping her writing career, but blind to the fact that by doing so, he was still exploiting her and limiting her.

Phillis Wheatley was sold to a man in Boston and lived there the rest of her life.

Although "bright dark" is an intentional oxymoron, the speaker is most likely referring to intellectually bright because early on, Susanna Wheatley (John's wife, whom she was a servant for) noticed her intellect.

She is using this illusion of the waves being tribal drums to find motivation, strength, and reason to keep fighting. The slash in-between "Sur" and "Vive" represents the break in syllable, each one representing a beat on the drum/a pound on the shipside.