{"product_id":"the-collected-poems-of-lorenzo-thomas-9780819578990","title":"The Collected Poems of Lorenzo Thomas","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe first full collection of the works of a foremost African American poet\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSong \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLorenzo Thomas (1944-2005) was the youngest member of the Society of Umbra, predecessor of the Black Arts Movement. \u003ci\u003eThe Collected Poems of Lorenzo Thomas\u003c\/i\u003e is the first volume to encompass his entire writing life. His poetry synthesizes New York School and Black Arts aesthetics, heavily influenced by blues and jazz. In a career that spanned decades, Thomas constantly experimented with form and subject, while still writing poetry deeply rooted in the traditions of African American aesthetics. Whether drawing from his experiences during the war in Vietnam, exploring his life in the urban north and the southwest, or parodying his beloved Negritude ancestors, Thomas was a lyric innovator. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSample Poem: \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSong \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eYou asked me to sing\u003cbr\u003eThen you seemed not\u003cbr\u003eTo hear; to have gone out\u003cbr\u003eFrom the edge of my voice \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAnd I was singing\u003cbr\u003eThere I was singing\u003cbr\u003eIn a heathen voice\u003cbr\u003eYou could not hear\u003cbr\u003eThough you requested \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe song--it was for them.\u003cbr\u003eAlthough they refuse you\u003cbr\u003eAnd the song I made for you\u003cbr\u003eTangled in their tongue \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThey wd mire themselves in the spring\u003cbr\u003eRains, as I sit here folding and\u003cbr\u003eUnfolding my nose in your gardens \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eI wouldn't mind it so bad \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEach word is cheapened\u003cbr\u003eIn the air, sounding like\u003cbr\u003eLanguage that riots and\u003cbr\u003eScreams in the dark city \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThoughts they requested\u003cbr\u003eConcepts that rule them \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSince I can't have you\u003cbr\u003eI will steal what you have\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Thomas, Lorenzo\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/12\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Wesleyan University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780819578990\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 498\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.65lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 6.00w x 1.30d","brand":"Lorenzo Thomas","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":32746642210891,"sku":"9780819578990","price":26.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0021\/1697\/6715\/products\/img_904bffe2-5cef-4af0-b21b-d5e6fe2f2388.jpg?v=1597721989","url":"https:\/\/blackbookstore.com\/products\/the-collected-poems-of-lorenzo-thomas-9780819578990","provider":"Black Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}