16 pages • 32 minutes read

& even the black guy’s profile reads 'sorry, no black guys'

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2017

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Symbols & Motifs

Ampersand (&)

Smith’s use of the ampersand sign, “&”, functions in several important ways throughout the poem. As the introductory punctuation of the poem in the title, Smith uses the ampersand to imply the continuation of a conversation, establishing a casual tone with the reader and subject. The implication is that this is an ongoing conversation, where examples of racism proliferate in the speaker's life, culminating in an internalized form as well. This usage is also mirrored in the final moments of the poem, as “& so” (Line 5) connects the narrator to the subject who has been addressed throughout.

The ampersand is also used to create direct visual juxtaposition mirrored by meaning. An ampersand divides the “mirror &” the “man you refuse to love” (Line 3) and divides the listed positive adjectives in the final sentence. By choosing to avoid the actual word “and,” instead using a symbol, Smith impacts the visual experience of the poem and punctuates key moments of the poem more intensely.

Longing and Desire

The motif of longing and desire is a consistent undercurrent of the poem, which is, in subject, dealing with people who are trying to find a partner. There are only a few direct references to this desire: the tulip who “prays” (Line 1) to be with a rose, the “shadows longing” (Line 2), and the phrase “lovable” (Line 5) in the final statement. This thematic element makes clear that Smith is trying to bring to the surface the ways that internalized self-hatred, particularly in terms of race, causes a person to become disconnected from their own ability to engage in love; desire and longing seem to exist in the poem’s subconscious, much as they are pushed down inside a person’s psyche who cannot see themselves as loveable and “enough” (Line 5).

Flowers

The introductory line of the poem describes a tulip that hates itself and wishes for a bee to “bring its pollen to a rose bush” (Line 2). It is an interesting choice to include a tulip and rose as the first images aside from the title. The tulip’s disgust is established when it sees “a garden full of tulips” (Line 1). The function of the floral symbolism is twofold: first, tulips are widely accepted as beautiful and abundant–“a garden full” (Line 1); yet second, roses are more commonly associated with romance and love–they represent a mainstream romantic ideal. By using flowers as a key symbolic aspect of the poem, Smith calls the reader’s attention to their own perceptions of what is romantic and attractive, without directly calling the reader’s own racism into question.