This suggests that king has come to terms with what has happened to him, but as mentioned earlier, he values love over all, and wants to move past it and use his experience as advocacy for peace.

Here, there is a shift as Elizabeth Alexander looks back on her childhood. She had a very taxing schedule as a child, both mentally and physically, which contrasts with the previous stanza of adulthood written in the present tense.

After the rebellion, Turner and his followers danced, celebrated, and feasted on the food seized from the plantation homes, including pork.

Aubert summarizes his ultimate purpose in writing a poem about Nat Turner, to educate those who may not know of his sacrifice and give "some dark child" a sense of history and heroism.

Possibly a play off of the well known prayer "give them now their daily bread."

After the rebellion, Nat Turner was sentenced to death by public hanging. Aubert contemplates how Turner’s fire was, “rushed to dying glow” and how the winds might be indifferent to the “miscarriage” of justice.

Nat Turner was an enslaved Black preacher who led a two-day rebellion of both enslaved and free black people in Southampton County, Virginia, beginning August 21, 1831.

When there is a poem about a famous musician, we typically expect an elegy. This poem, however, has a more playful tone, using slang and free verse as a way to lighten the mood. The speaker describes how amazing Davis was for the fact that he could tell lies and get away with it.

“Nat Turner was a preacher and he educated himself on the Bible [...] and so I cast the poem in the form of a prayer.” -Alvin Aubert

Miles Davis went through many drummers, but the drummer of his "first great quartet" was Philly Joe Jones (1923-1985). Jones played with Davis from 1955-1958. After playing with Davis, Jones went on to play with numerous other musicians, eventually putting out records of his own in the late 1950s. Jones died of a heart attack in 1985.

Davis had admitted to beating his wives, yet many tend to gloss over this in order to preserve his contributions to jazz. Davis was married to Betty Davis for a brief period of time--the marriage eventually failing due to his temper and accusations that she was having an affair. Betty Davis was a singer in the 1970s, known for her open display of sexuality in her songs.

"Miles" refers to Miles Davis (1926-1991), a famous African American trumpeter, who is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz. He adopted a variety of musical directions in his five-decade career that kept him at the forefront of many major stylistic developments--from be-bop and hard bop to electric jazz and jazz fusion.

In African American vernacular, "telling lies" is also known as storytelling, as seen frequently in the work of Zora Neale Hurston.

"Miles" refers to Miles Davis (1926-1991), a famous African American trumpeter, who is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz. He adopted a variety of musical directions in his five-decade career that kept him at the forefront of many major stylistic developments--from be-bop and hard-bop to electric jazz and jazz fusion.

The Jury for the trial of officers involved in the Rodney King traffic stop consisted of 9 white, one biracial, and Latino, and one Asian.

Suggests an emphasis on how aggressive he was being beaten, because pinatas are solely used for forceful actions.

Rodney King was an African American construction worker who was brutally beat by four police officers during a traffic stop. This beating sparked riots all across the nation, and primarily in Los Angeles that brought attention to racial injustice in America.

Niggardly means not generous, or stingy, but looking at the root of the word gives off a negative connotation of the word that was used to describe African Americans.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words, and her employer is suggesting that just because the word doesn’t literally mean anything offensive, the structure of it shouldn’t upset her.

Sea Otter was a racial slur used to describe African Americans.

Her boss is suggesting that the reason there were rats in her office in her dream were due to her being dirty.

This was a phrase commonly associated with facing adversity and defying odds and coming out on top. This suggests that as Rodney King was facing the challenge of racial discrimination he was still able to overcome and make the best of the bad situation

This could possibly be referring to the batons that were mentioned earlier used by the police officers during his traffic stop.

This Latin phrase means that “love conquers all” and this suggests that though King was beaten, he sees it as more than just an act of violence, but more of a learning experience for everyone else to show that love is greater than evil.

Knowing the role that the root of the word rodent plays in the greater etymology of “nigger” this can be used to justify why she saw rats and mice along with the racial slur otters in her dream earlier mentioned.

Following up the reality of words, these are words that she has heard people say because they were thinking them, whether they had malicious intent or not.

This suggests that king has come to terms with what has happened to him, but as mentioned earlier, he values love over all, and wants to move past it and use his experience as advocacy for peace.

Here, there is a shift as Elizabeth Alexander looks back on her childhood. She had a very taxing schedule as a child, both mentally and physically, which contrasts with the previous stanza of adulthood written in the present tense.

The stars are often used for navigation, and it suggests that that once they have reached their freedom, the stars can direct their path.

Bodies of water were a common route used by slaves to take the path the freedom

This is suggesting that God can be any and every relation to you, as he is always there to supply what you need.

Having faith can be hard at times, which is why the grimace was added to show the painful effect that it can have.

Refers to bible verse Job 5:19 where God has delivers from six troubles and does not allow a seventh evil trouble to interfere.

Rock of ages refers to a biblical connection of smitten rock and Jesus’ smitten body. Also in the bible, a prophet by the name of Isaiah says “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal” which in this situation insinuates that in the midst of destruction, trust in the Lord and he will protect you.

“Desperate” hour suggests that when you are in severe need, that is when the Lord’s power will be summoned.

Blessed rain comes after a drought period, and can refer to God satisfying your needs after your struggle.

Bloodhounds were used to track down runaway slaves by picking up on the human scent and hunting them down.

This suggests that she was praying to God in a time of trouble.

Slave patrols of armed white men who enforced the rules of the plantation and ensured the containment of enslaved persons

Harriet Tubman was first called Moses by fellow abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, due to her efforts to lead the slaves to freedom, as Moses attempted to lead the Jews away from enslavement.

Harriet Tubman was an abolitionist and activist that escaped slavery, and went back and helped rescue over 70 enslaved people through 13 missions by way of the path called "The Underground Railroad"

A piece of the ground that is covered in cane plants, could be referencing the field in which slaves were working in.

This suggests that they are in the middle of escaping from the plantation

African sky father, creator of life (similar to the western notion of God).

References the longevity of slavery, both during and long after its time.

References the rape of enslaved peoples by slavemasters.

Many enslaved peoples were transported to Delta towns from slave markets in New Orleans, or downriver from markets in Louisville or Memphis. By way of the Delta, enslaved peoples descended down into the pit.

African deity of thunder and justice (similar to Zeus).

This line regarding time may reference the influence of slavery on modern day African American's lives.

References the feeling of being forsaken by God(s).

Montaigne was a French philosopher who lived 1533-1592 and critiqued the Eurocentric belief in Western superiority.

This verse highlights how seemingly sweet elderly women brutally forced submission from the enslaved, blinding them so they could never leave. This juxtaposition between sweetness and brutality parallels the overall juxtaposition of the apple trees and the cotton field.

The triangular trade consisted of taking enslaved people from Guinea in West Africa to the Americas and then taking goods such as whale oil, sugar, and tobacco back to Europe, with Liverpool being a main port. Allen refers to America as the land of the glorious free, contrasting the title of freedom with the legacy of enslavement.

This verse presents a juxtaposition between a field of apple trees and a field of cotton worked by slaves, in other words, rather than spending leisure time in a field of sustenance, the speaker toils in a field of heat, exploitation, and brutality.

Liverpool came to be a major port during the transatlantic slave trade, with its ships and merchants dominating trade in the second half of the 18th century. Liverpool and its inhabitants gained great civic and personal wealth from the trade and Allen may be mentioning Liverpool as an instrument of the slave trade to bring attention to Europe's role in slavery.

Why not Alabama, where Allen is from? Allen states that Mississippi as a word lends itself to the imagery of slavery and Mississippi, according to Allen, was the worst state in the nation in terms of brutality.

English romantic poets also often wrote about nature, with Allen's use echoing typical English poetry but disrupting it with the imagery of slavery.

The opening and closing stanzas of this poem are written in rhyming iambic pentameter, typically associated with Shakespeare and other English writers, while the middle two stanzas--which disrupt the peaceful image of England and apple trees and leisure--are written in free verse, often favored by many Black Arts Movement writers.

Sussex is a relatively wealthy county on England's southern coast. Sussex was also known for St. Wilfred, who evangelized people and eventually built a monastery, freeing 250 slaves who were formerly a part of the estate. By referencing this, Allen may be suggesting that slaves in the U.S. did not get this treatment, they did not get to climb the trees in Sussex.