“Poets
find their voices when they articulate the wishes of the dead, especially those
slain as sacrificial talismans to a larger frame of existence.”
– Michael S. Harper
Born in Brooklyn, NY, in March 1938,
Harper grew up in New York and Los Angeles and began creative writing while
still in high school. After studying at
the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in
California and went on to a distinguished teaching career, including
professorships at Colgate, Brown and Harvard. 
Using stories from both his family's
past and events in black history in general, he built a sophisticated vision of
racial encounter and experience through poetry and music. He wrote 8 volumes of poetry, contributed to
numerous journals and anthologies, and collaborated on numerous musical efforts
born out of the African-American experience.
For Saturday’s Poem, here is Harper’s,
A
R I A
Saner in the 'golden moment'
“a capella”
“a capella”
the three idioms of song
scores coming at you 'fast'
scores coming at you 'fast'
one dying in refrain
a tyranny of magic making
a tyranny of magic making
only the chords
full tones as increment
full tones as increment
'to live is to resist stillness'
except in the zone
except in the zone
the soloists salute a 'chant of saints'
while the aria moans
while the aria moans
alone on assignment
'the making' continues to shine
'the making' continues to shine
'to make' is to live live (italics mine)
where force is made chorus made out of nothing
where force is made chorus made out of nothing
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