In this period of physical distancing, Tilt West is launching a new series called, “Writer of the Week,” in which we will feature a poem or reflection from members of our community. We begin this series with poet, performer, and activist, Suzi Q. Smith who inspires us daily with her Poems for the End of the World.
Mezzo Sopranos Get the Sad Songs
By Suzi Q. Smith
Did you hear the one about the long lines around
the gun shop and the sold out bullets
and the empty grocery store shelves in the United States?
What will happen when our lights are out?
I hope we sing like the people in Italy.
I only really know two arias, one of which is “Lascia Te Mi Morire”
translation: bring me my death
so I don’t think I’ll sing that one,
but I’ll tell you this:
I’ll sing before I shoot,
I’ll sing before I shoot,
ain’t never been afraid of heaven anyhow.
Suzi Q. Smith is an award-winning artist, activist, and educator who lives in Denver, Colorado. She has shared stages with Nikki Giovanni, the late Gil Scott Heron, and many others. Her poems have appeared in numerous publications, anthologies, and a chapbook collection, Thirteen Descansos. Her newest collection, A Gospel of Bones, is available in fall 2020. Smith formerly served as executive director of Poetry Slam, Inc., and is co-chair of the Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs. She recently gave the talk, “These Poems Made Me Possible,’’ at TEDxBoulder.
