This is the fifth in a series of blog posts concerning reader-favorite poems from my latest book, A Poet Speaks of Empire. This week I'll examine "An Homage to the Black Stars." I'll interpret the poem and tell the story behind it. Here's the poem:
AN HOMAGE TO THE BLACK STARS
They took to the streets like
so many birds to the sky:
flocked like children to the
red clay, cheering for those
long-revered.
Long prayed for rain arriving
in rhythm like their praise.
They carried flags and touted shirts
for the Black Stars.
The crowd’s arrival was an
explosion of joy – pounding streets,
confusing traffic, reaching skyward.
The overwhelming volume consuming
the blackbird’s cry. Audible from the
crowd, all but silence.
The "Black Stars" is the name given to Ghana's beloved national soccer team. They're named as such because of the famous black star at the center of Ghana's national flag (see left). This black star comes from Marcus Garvey's Black Star Line, whose ships' destination was West Africa.The poem above concerns my experience on the streets of Kumasi, Ghana after a wonderful soccer game from the 2006 World Cup played in Germany. I was fortunate to be in Ghana when the Black Stars beat the United States to advance to the second round.
I happened to be returning by car from watching the game with a co-worker's family when the city erupted. Black Stars fans "took to the streets like/so many birds to the sky". Despite the rain, the streets were filled with young men and women "pounding streets,/confusing traffic, reaching skyward" in "long prayed for rain". It was a mesmerizing spectacle. There were so many people on the street that in the car we could only move at the pace of the crowd.
It was a long ride home but a memorable one. The city was on fire in a way that I had never seen and I was there to witness it.
More to come..
