2
\OK KBC OFfecKNKHTHAK Black, 1896-1931, was a brilliant and controver- fial young poet, who burst upon the literary scene in the 1920's, when his writings about nachinery and nan were questioned by reviewers, who askBd whether machines were fit subjects for poetry. Black was a poet ahead of his time, a writer whose lyrics are as timely today as they were prophetic at the time when they were written. VOLUME EIGHT, NO. 2, JULY, 1987. PAGE 19. g Black's poems about ICMS, buildings and machines' from the 1920's chronicle the artistic and philosophical turbulence of the decade througi the struggle of a young poet to find himself in a world ctamrated by science. At the dam of the seventies and now in the eigities, when science and technology are once again upon us bringing questions about the quality of life and the meaning of work and when i t has now becane fashionable to write poems about work, the lyrics of Madfrn^jit Black deserve attention Structural Iron Workers What love do these men give their women That is like the love they spend On this iron harlot With the sky between her breasts? What kisses Like the red sting of rivets Have they left on any lips? You will not find Ihe full fruit of their loins In any daughters, any sons - But lift your gaze and stare long Toward the sky's edge. The Turbine A prophet is come, a maker of rhythms And a hard thing is upon us: Strange rhythms come out from a body of Deep rhythms, far wombed Out of fires and seas, Out of atoms and suns. Fore-rhythms, fore-makers, Begetters of blood-beats, Swell up through our minds Like the roots of fat oaks Biat buckle the soil. A prophet is come, a maker of rhythms That leap from the steel And take hold and grow mighty Under our thought steel Bright Machine fogrri fieri and shaped in steel, here i s final Energy, the sned that fertilizes space, Ihe notion locked in atcms, weaving clear Of star and mountain, flesh and sea. Wt) finds this hinrrfipsp spLendor, and who lays HLs worm drears down, and in his heart Gives up his hope of lonely Ife ocmes to fullness and a p That runs beneath his blood; he holds the turning Tb doorways of the earth and sky; he comes As loam between the furrows of the field he plows, as li^lt Between the sunset and his lifted eyes. Jfaw softly, as the great wings of eagles flow through a sky, These tons of shaped steel Ely through nptirrflpss air, how strongly they mesh Ihe stillness with a peace of their own, Ihe birth of a star is like this, the birth of a star Is a blooming from quietness; wheel-fli^it and star-fiigftt Are one peace of clear motion. The hodips of men and of women, of lovers, Stirring with atoms, perfect in breast and limb, Are like steel-fLi^it; they are softly in being, Ps blossoms are vhite on a pear tree in April; Springing from stillness, they have their peace. Farm Mother 9 e gives her breast to a snail mouth, Soft as rain, warm Arl searching. ffer deep blood dreams through her body. It i s strange That the quiet in her Is s t r a t a than ever her liirfce were, Arl freer. In the years after 9 e will mmiija wards wsr spoken, lips on her heart. RIHPH NDW the city goes down Into the purple loam of Tb lie deep Ihder a meadow of stars - Till the brass plow of the sun, Furrowing westward, 9B11 toss it up, white as

Work Poems Of: Macknight Black

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Page 1: Work Poems Of: Macknight Black

\OK KBC OF fecKNKHT HAK

Black, 1896-1931, was a brilliant and controver-fial young poet, who burst upon the literary scene in the1920's, when his writings about nachinery and nan werequestioned by reviewers, who askBd whether machines weref i t subjects for poetry. Black was a poet ahead of histime, a writer whose lyrics are as timely today as theywere prophetic at the time when they were written.

VOLUME EIGHT, NO. 2, JULY, 1987. PAGE 19.

g Black's poems about ICMS, buildings and machines'from the 1920's chronicle the artistic and philosophicalturbulence of the decade througi the struggle of a youngpoet to find himself in a world ctamrated by science. Atthe dam of the seventies and now in the eigities, whenscience and technology are once again upon us bringingquestions about the quality of l ife and the meaning of workand when i t has now becane fashionable to write poems aboutwork, the lyrics of Madfrn̂ jit Black deserve attention

Structural Iron Workers

What love do these men give their womenThat is like the love they spendOn this iron harlotWith the sky between her breasts?

What kissesLike the red sting of rivetsHave they left on any lips?

You will not findIhe full fruit of their loinsIn any daughters, any sons -But lift your gaze and stare longToward the sky's edge.

The Turbine

A prophet is come, a maker of rhythmsAnd a hard thing is upon us:Strange rhythms come out from a body ofDeep rhythms, far wombedOut of fires and seas,Out of atoms and suns.Fore-rhythms, fore-makers,Begetters of blood-beats,Swell up through our mindsLike the roots of fat oaksBiat buckle the soil.A prophet is come, a maker of rhythmsThat leap from the steelAnd take hold and grow mightyUnder our thought

steel

Bright Machine

fogrri fieri and shaped in steel, here i s finalEnergy, the sned that fertilizes space,Ihe notion locked in atcms, weaving clearOf star and mountain, flesh and sea.Wt) finds this hinrrfipsp spLendor, and who laysHLs worm drears down, and in his heartGives up his hope of lonelyIfe ocmes to fullness and a pThat runs beneath his blood; he holds the turningTb doorways of the earth and sky; he comesAs loam between the furrows of the field he plows,as l i^lt Between the sunset and his lifted eyes.

Jfaw softly, as the great wings of eagles flowthrough a sky,

These tons of shaped steelEly through nptirrflpss air, how strongly they meshIhe stillness with a peace of their own,Ihe birth of a star i s like this, the birth of a starIs a blooming from quietness; wheel-fli^it and

star-fiigfttAre one peace of clear motion.The hodips of men and of women, of lovers,Stirring with atoms, perfect in breast and limb,Are like steel-fLi^it; they are softly in being,Ps blossoms are vhite on a pear tree in April;Springing from stillness, they have their peace.

Farm Mother

9 e gives her breast to a snail mouth,Soft as rain, warmArl searching.ffer deep blood dreams through her body.

It i s strangeThat the quiet in herIs s t r a t a than ever her liirfce were,Arl freer.

In the years after9 e will mmiija wards

wsr spoken,lips on her heart.

R I H P H

NDW the city goes downInto the purple loam ofTb lie deepIhder a meadow of stars -Till the brass plow of the sun,Furrowing westward, 9 B 1 1 toss i t up, white as

Page 2: Work Poems Of: Macknight Black

Jtne Ifesh has been appointed to the advisory oonnittee of aproject called "Shifting Gears: Ihe Changing tearing of Work inMvwrhiqpfffl, 192D-1W lirfertakm l y HTP I^osarhwtfs JHP-daticn for the Hilarities and Hfclic Micy to reconstruct therecent history of Fall River, Ifclyoke, Lawrerce, North Afemsand Garcte:. Ihe Rxrdaticn i s offering fellowships to fivescholars, each of tfrm will engage in a rtnber of activities,irriiriing vohnfapr training in ffa* nniiifvtion nf oral hLstor-ies, developing and adrairistenng public programs, y n a l ex-hibitions, media spots and disseminating information as veil asestablishing relations with pftlir school teachers, Irrai 1-ih-ran'pR, hist-nrinal fznriotitxi anri other intPTPsted acg^rrizaticnsin the caraiiiity. Inquiries should be directed to :

Miriam R. Levin, Massachusetts Federat-ion for the Humanities and Public Po l i c i e s ,1 Woodbridge Street , South Hadley, MA 01075

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

S U B S C R I P T I O N FORM

Subscript ion Rates:

United S t a t e s and Canada: $4.50

Overseas: $5 .50

NAME:

ADDRESS:

I Would Like to Submit:

Manuscripts

Book Reviews

Teaching Outl ines

Research Reports

BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW

Upton S i n c l a i r1984 (New Edit ion) Hie Fl ivver King,A Story of Ford-America. Chicago:Charles H. Kerr Publishing Co.

Herbert Applebaum1987 Perspect ives i n Cultural Anthro-pology. Albany, New York: State Univer-s i t y o f New York Press .

Volney Ste f f l re1986 Developing and ImplementingMarketing Streteg ies . New York:Praeger.

Brian Greenberg1985 Worker and Community Albany,New York: State University of NewYork Press.

Richard A. Reuss1983 Songs of American Labor, Indus-t r i a l i z a t i o n and the Urban Work Ex-perience. Arm Arbor, Michigan: TheProgram on Workers Culture.

MEETING NOTICE

The Society for Applied Anthropology w i l lhold i t s annual meeting April 21-23, 1988,in Tampa, Florida. The theme of the meet-ing i s "Applied Anthropology i n Multidis-cipl inary Perspective." Participation andabstracts are invited from individuals ina l l relevant d i s c i p l i n e s . Abstracts w i l lbe accepted for review up to Oct. 30,1987,The meeting w i l l be held at the Hyatt Re-gency Westshore Hotel. For additional i n -formation on the meeting, address your in'quir ies to the following: Program Chair -1988 Meeting, Department of Anthropology,University of South Florida, Tamja, FLA

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