Poems. Coconut illustrations by Levani (Levan Mindiashvili), Hubble Ultra Deep Field courtsey of NASA. ASA ID: heic0406a. Release Date: 9 March 2004, 15.30 ; cover design by Karen Sofia Colón. "Where [an illustration of] a coconut appears by page numbers, explanations of corresponding references will be found in the endnotes. While endnotes are meant to be read simultaneously with the poems, they may also be read on their own."--page [7]
Contents:
Preface -- Tropical Sacrifice -- Afterword & Acknowledgements -- Endnotes: The Roots of Our Flight
Summary:
Tropical Sacrifice is a wishbone against a fascist heart/a prophetic, dream-filled narrative based on the spiritual journey of a chicken. Used for sacrificial ritual in Afro-Brazilian religion, the chicken becomes a re-enchantment of the poet's ancestry. Her superior vision gives access to histories of genocide and ecocide, opening a portal to Indigenous, Afro-diasporic, queer and nonhuman worlds. From the favela to the Amazon to the astral plane, it is the half-winged bird who escapes the factory farm, inviting voices to bleed out of the sky.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.