Ain't Never Not Been Black

Ain't Never Not Been Black | Javon Johnson

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It‘s a different kind of poetry, the poetry of slam and spoken word disciplines. It‘s demanding and raw. It‘s urgent and upfront. It‘s abrupt and in your face. It asks for nothing politely. Not even your attention or your time or your willingness to listen. It‘s full throttle, getting to max acceleration as you try to buckle your seatbelt and adjust your positioning, opinions, responses and word choices, as you try to assimilate and hold on.👇🏽

DivineDiana, TrishB, Cathythoughts

Nute It does not wait for you to catch up. It takes command of your diaphragm and dares you to take an unassisted breath. It takes and it takes and it takes until you are rendered completely an open wound or a sloppy puddle of water on the floor. Until you are face to face with yourself and this poets words and the world about you. It holds no bars and takes everyone prisoner.
It‘s not seeking the face in the mirror.👇🏽 2y

Nute It wants a meetup with who we are when alone in the dark, that thing contained in us which rises to the surface in the still of the night.
This book demanded of me, “Consider the skin you‘re in. Not at the core level, instead at the surface level. How do I move through the world because I‘m black? How does the world react and respond to me as they see my blackness. Am I ever seen in another way because the truth is,👇🏽 2y

Nute I “ain‘t never not been black.” I won‘t ever be not black. What about my beautiful black children? They will be black for all the days of their lives. Will the world see them beautiful within their blackness and beyond?
A reader doesn‘t have to self-define as the target audience for a book like this…an authentic “participant” for what some may describe as the “black experience.” It‘s almost a weak excuse.👇🏽 2y

See All 13 Comments

Nute I‘m not Jewish. Does that mean I can‘t have an ear for the brutality of the Holocaust? I‘ve never lived in Ukraine. Does that mean that I can‘t relate to the destruction of a country and the loss of a home?
It‘s a human experience. All of it. The reader just needs to be a seeker of truth, in desire of another earth dweller‘s reality, a petitioner of understanding and harmony, in want of inclusiveness for every soul here in this place.👇🏽 2y

Nute I‘m black and yet I seek to gain understanding of the black experience because it is a myriad of things, some of which I have not brushed against in my own living. Gazing upon the walks of life for each person I encounter (living, dead, now, then, in front of me, virtually, a scrutiny of history, etc.), I do not know every story, I may or may not have similar experiences, I may or may not believe in the same values, morals, politics, theology;👇🏽 (edited) 2y

Nute but in the sharing of narratives our degrees of separation are lessened. There is a recognizable common denominator underneath it all.
Highly Recommended!

#PoetryMatters
#Poetry (edited) 2y

TrishB Wow 😯 what a review! Almost poetry itself. I have stacked because I am very interested ❤️ 2y

Cathythoughts Brilliant review 👍🏻♥️ yes! It‘s a human experience. Stacking 2y

DivineDiana Agree wholeheartedly with @Cathythoughts ! 2y

TheSpineView 👍😊📖 2y

Nute @TrishB @Cathythoughts @DivineDiana Thank you, friends!💕 2y

Nute @TheSpineView 💕 2y

BiblioLitten Wow! What an amazing way with words ❤️ 2y

96 likes7 stack adds13 comments

Nute

Ain't Never Not Been Black | Javon Johnson

It starts here. A nod to poetry in the month of April. I was planning to start light with moments of gaiety and then go deep, but this book called out. These words cut to the chase immediately. Two poems read and there has already been an alteration to thinking. Was I expecting cheerful amusements after reading the title? Did I catch the meaning behind the redacted eyes of an uplifted child on the cover?

Wading in the deep end…
#PoetryMatters

Cathythoughts Love this title and cover ❤️ (edited) 2y

TrishB Look forward to your review 👍🏻 2y

DivineDiana A powerful cover. A beautiful photo. Awaiting your review. 2y

Nute #Poetry 2y

89 likes2 stack adds4 comments

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