Skip Navigation
Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ta-Nehisi Coates - Ta-Nehisi Coates is a senior editor for The Atlantic, where he writes about culture, politics, and social issues for TheAtlantic.com and the magazine. He is the author of the memoir The Beautiful Struggle. More

Born in 1975, the product of two beautiful parents. Raised in West Baltimore—not quite The Wire, but sometimes ill all the same. Studied at the Mecca for some years in the mid-’90s. Emerged with a purpose, if not a degree. Slowly migrated up the East Coast with a baby and my beloved, until I reached the shores of Harlem. Wrote some stuff along the way.

Poem for Monday

By Ta-Nehisi Coates
Aug 25 2008, 12:30 PM ET Comment

So as you guys know, I'm like, a huge poetry-head. Here's something from one of my favorite poets of all time--the beautiful Lucille Clifton:

Signs

when the birds begin to walk
when the crows in their silk tuxedos
stand in the road and watch
as oncoming traffic swerves to avoid
the valley of dead things
when the geese reject the sky
and sit on the apron of highway 95
one wing pointing north the other south

and what does it mean this morning
when a man runs wild eyed from his car
shirtless and shoeless his palms spread wide
into the jungle of traffic into a world
gone awry the birds beginning to walk
the man almost naked almost cawing
almost lifting straining to fly

Lucille Clifton
Best American Poetry 2000

Scribner

Frankly, I'd love hear some interpretations of this one. The reversal of nature? An apocalyptic premonition? Meditation on global warming? I love--love-- the rhythm of it, the imagery ("the crows in their silk tuxedos") and the beautiful detail ("the man almost naked, almost cawing/almost lifting straining to fly"). Clifton, like all the masters knows how to swing the verbs, I'm just not sure what it all adds up to.


Presented by

More at The Atlantic

Japan's Latest Pop-Music Craze? Kids What's Japan's Latest Music Craze? Kids.
The Most Powerful 'Game of Thrones' Character? Bad Luck The Most Powerful 'Game of Thrones' Character? Bad Luck
Cannes' Best Film Yet? A Controversial, Cross-Dressing Epic Cannes' Controversial, Cross-Dressing Epic Film
Should Google's Search Results Be Protected by the First Amendment? Should Google's Search Results Be Protected by Free Speech?
Go Midwest, Young Man: Indiana's Plan to Steal California Jobs Indiana's Plan to Steal the West Coast's Technology Jobs

Join the Discussion

After you comment, click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be asked to log in or register.
blog comments powered by Disqus
View All Correspondents

The Biggest Story in Photos

Earthquake in Northern Italy

May 22, 2012

Subscribe Now

SAVE 59%! 10 issues JUST $2.45 PER COPY

Facebook

Newsletters

Sign up to receive our free newsletters

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)

Ta-Nehisi Coates
from the Magazine

Why Do So Few Blacks Study the Civil War?

Ta-Nehisi Coates is an Atlantic senior editor.

Fade to White

A filmmaker maps Austin’s shifting ethnic landscape.

The Legacy of Malcolm X

Why his vision lives on in Barack Obama