Unmiracle - a poem for the election of Barack Obama

the president's gospel might not be sopho-aristophilosophy
this man might not be dream in baritone like king
or dangerous
like us black folk all kind of knew malcolm was 
but never said / he
might not bring health care / world peace
race peace / education / unpoverty / a revolution
to his country / this country / the world / anyone
anywhere in fact he surely won't / he
might not even be a good father / husband
lover / leader / person
who knows or hell even cares
if he's all that genuine
us browns know the man
ain't no solution but / he / lets us eye our knock-kneed sons / like
hey / maybe one day
my boy could be the one

so every early morning late night newscast / every
can I get a witness same old black shit day
I drag my baby to the screen & make him watch the man
& say his name / the boy says
obama
banana obama
obama in pajamas
& he cackles in his crazy two-year old way
a no worries in the world mud pie brown boy
who just might be president
one day
the checkered crowd swells & heaves
like a living -
it is a living thing this
right to breathe like
damn
maybe my breath counts
that closing in of a noose under alabama tree / that
back-bent-cotton-picking wheeze / that
diving deeper for master's pearls until one day
your body just won't surface / those
cold grey lungs salt-logged like
a genesis curse

will you blame us
that when he called we heard / will you
blame us that when he called we heard / will
you blame us that when he called we
packed up the house / the life / the kids / the conscience
we / grabbed the cardboard / the car / the coin jar
& came running with all we had
we knew the man was mostly no
solution might not bring healthcare / world peace
race peace / education / unpoverty / a revolution

will you blame us / we didn't know
or hell even care
was he all that genuine
that man / lets us eye our knock kneed sons / like
hey / maybe one day
my boy could be the one

This poem was first published here in 2009, and also appears in 'Gil Scott Heron is on Parole' (Picaro Press, 2010)