36. Major Jackson, from Urban Renewal

Sometimes an anecdote is almost powerful enough to carry a poem. In this case, the prose explanation at the back of the book is as effective as the poem itself, if not more so because of the gain in clarity. Still, the story, about a Eurocentric teacher who assigns children the names of French painters because she cannot remember names like Bahrain or Darnell, has a strong impact. 7.5.