“A Poem for Ella Fitzgerald” by Sonia Sanchez (1998)

“A Poem for Ella Fitzgerald” is an “address poem”—Sanchez writes these to people she knew and did not know, famous people and family members. In this particular one, addressed to Ella Fitzgerald, the content and form blend, bringing out a musical quality in the verse and demonstrating Sanchez’s signature experimental style.

“Claiming Language, Claiming Art V” by Haki R. Madhubuti (2023)

Haki R. Madhubuti was a contemporary of Sanchez’s in the Black Arts Movement. His press, Third World Press, published her third book, Love Poems (1973). “Claiming Language, Claiming Art V” is dedicated to Dr. Joanne Gabbin, Founder and Executive Director of the Furious Flower Poetry Center. The poem is in two parts: “Furious” and “Flowers.” As in many of Sanchez’s poems, the speaker of this poem foregrounds their concern with the English language. In the first section, the speaker probes the tension between the English language, Black identity, and power, in the face of such contemporary concerns as climate change. In the second section, the speaker finds some resolution in lauding “the wonderfully engaged wordsmiths / and legendary artists often soloists of Black and tan images in short and long lines / that save and give lives” (Lines 7-9).

“Epitaph for a Romantic Woman” by Louise Bogan (1923)

An accomplished poet and critic, Louise Bogan was Sonia Sanchez’s mentor at New York University. Bogan’s poetry poses quite a contrast to Sanchez’s. Bogan mostly wrote love poetry in traditional forms and rhyme schemes, using standard poetic English. “Epitaph for a Romantic Woman,” like “Depression,” is a poem about a troubled woman. Sanchez credits Bogan for teaching her the importance of form, be it free verse or haiku.

“Autobiography” by Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1958)

Ferlinghetti was a key Beat Generation poet, as well as a playwright, publisher, and activist. “Autobiography” is a long, single-stanza poem driven by association and plain language. The speaker contemplates his identity as an American man who was once a model American boy, and who now has become disenchanted with the dominant culture. This representative Beat Generation poem lays out the innovations in the craft of poetry that immediately preceded poets like Sanchez.

“…Fox!” by Douglas Kearney (2019)

Douglas Kearney is a contemporary poet and educator. His poetry tends to experiment with form, language, or both. The poem “…Fox!” follows a split second when the speaker drives by a dead fox lying on the road. Slowed down, the speaker’s instantaneous reaction is fragmented and associative, a poetic representation of fleeting thought. Kearney’s mix of lyrical language and vernacular phrases demonstrate Sanchez’s lasting impact on the world of poetry.