When Did We Stop Being Cute?
$18.00
| Title | Range | Discount |
|---|---|---|
| Trade Discount | 5 + | 25% |
- Description
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Description
A coming-of-age collection set to the music of the 1980s and 90s. This novel in poetic form tells the story of a young man dealing with the challenges of growing up mixed-race in 1980s suburbia. In this time of change, both for himself and the world around him, he seeks to “remember / just when I stopped being cute…”
Narrating run-ins with the police (“The minute they see me, fear me”) and confrontations with himself, the speaker in this collection must learn to navigate a world that sees him as a threat. When Did We Stop Being Cute? reflects on the beauty and horrors of life in the United States, telling a personal story that shows Black lives and how they matter. A mixed-race child of the 1980s, Martin Wiley came of age in the New Jersey suburbs. His poetry is inspired both by the music he grew up with (from Public Enemy and Run DMC to Blondie and The Bangles) and the racial and personal politics of the world around him. He lives and teaches in Philadelphia with his wife and two children.
Prologue: Early evening at the abandoned school
We can’t afford to be innocent
There ain’t no need for ya
Peace is a dream (Kids in America pt. 1)
All alone with you makes the butterflies in me arise
Kind hearts don’t make a news story (KiA pt. 2)
Something like a phenomenon
Forever’s gonna start tonight (KiA pt.3)
Jimmy Got Nothing made himself a name (KiA pt. 4)
If I could find a souvenir just to prove the world was here (KiA pt. 5)
After: math
Part Two: Hey kid walk straight, master your high
Prologue: Late night at the abandoned school
Look right through me, look right through me
Glory days, or The true story of two guys coming down a mountain
And we mean to go on and on and on
Past the days of yes y’allin’
We’re all ice cream castles in the summer time
A self-made monster
Yeah yeah they do it all the time
Unruly boys who will not grow up
After: shock
Part Three: But life is just a party & parties weren’t meant to last
Prologue: Early morning at the abandoned school
The world is collapsing around our ears
Subtle innuendo follows
(And so, by the way, I thank you)
When they reminisce over you
A white hot spotlight
You, you said you’d wait until the end of the world
We still play our little games
Epilogue: I thought we’d get to see forever…
Excuse me for a moment, I’m in another world
You don’t have to worry about me
After: all
Acknowledgements
Additional information
| Dimensions | 1 × 6 × 9 in |
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