Homie

Danez Smith

Chapters (46)

Cover

Note to the Reader on Text Size

if i went to jail i’d live rent free but there is no way to avoid making white people richer

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homie

Also by Danez Smith

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homie

/ poems /

DANEZ SMITH

GRAYWOLF PRESS

Copyright

The author and Graywolf Press have provided this e-book to you for your personal use only. You may not make this e-book publicly available in any way. Copyright infringement is against the law. If you believe the copy of this e-book you are reading infringes on the author’s copyright, please notify Graywolf Press at: us.macmillanusa.com/piracy.

This publication is made possible, in part, by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. Significant support has also been provided by Target, the McKnight Foundation, the Lannan Foundation, the Amazon Literary Partnership, and other generous contributions from foundations, corporations, and individuals. To these organizations and individuals we offer our heartfelt thanks.

Published by Graywolf Press

250 Third Avenue North, Suite 600

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401

Published in the United States of America

ISBN 978-1-64445-010-9

Ebook ISBN 978-1-64445-109-0

2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3 1

First Graywolf Printing, 2020

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019933271

Cover design: Carlos Esparza

note on the title

this book was titled homie because i don’t want non-black people to say my nig out loud.

this book is really titled my nig.

my nig

/ poems /

DANEZ SMITH

GRAYWOLF PRESS

for the homies

who keep me

for the realest one

Phonetic One

Andrew Thomas

for you & your friends

Yes, each man is a tower of birds, I write my friends

into earth, into earth, into earth.

ILYA KAMINSKY

Lost some real niggas I knew from a long time ago

But heaven or hell I hopin’ that they be where I’mma go

LIL WAYNE

my president

today, i elect jonathan, eleven & already making roads out of water

young genius, blog writer, lil community activist, curls tight

as pinky swears, black as my nation i trust the world in his tender

blooming hands, i trust him to tell us which rivers are safe to drink

& which hold fish like a promise

& i elect eve ewing, who i know would ms. frizzle the country

into one big classroom where grandmas finger paint

the national budget & uncles stand around smoking blacks

plotting on stars for our escape she could walk to the podium