On the Fourth of July
A visit to the shooting range reverses societal power structures, if only for a moment.
4th of July poem | Lucie Brooks poet | how to raise Black sons in America
One of our older sons meets us on Jekyll Island,
his first leave since making 2nd Lieutenant,
a family tradition on both sides.
He wants to take the younger boys
to the shooting range. I say yes
even though when their father tried
to take me once, the cacophony of death
triggered a panic attack. We left,
my body frozen with fear, eyes
leaking. I have imagined surviving
too many times. But I say yes,
because this is America, and my children
are Black boys, and a target does not turn down
the chance to be the gun.
4th of July poem | Lucie Brooks poet | how to raise Black sons in America
More poetry on the Black Southern experience by:
Frank X Walker
Tiana Clark
Alabama Poet Laureate Ashley M. Jones
4th of July poem | Lucie Brooks poet | how to raise Black sons in America
Lucie Brooks is a poet and gender studies professor. She is the 2022 Kentucky Poetry Society Chaffin/Kash poetry prize winner and a 2024 Grand Prix poetry prize finalist. Her work can be found in print and online, including inCatapult, Swing, andLEON Literary Review.