African Voices Summer 2016 (Digital) | Page 15

Zoe Smith Holladay, a 7th grade creative writing major from Denver, joined her mom
Catherine Smith in sharing her work at the James Baldwin Conference.

Ode to James Baldwin
You questioned the deeds of humanity,
with such intensity
that you must have been suffering from them
from the moment you were born.
You wondered if change was worth anything
because, to most people, it was so much easier
to become an innocent
and accept the truth that White America wanted you to believe in.
Perhaps your words were your gift,
or your apology
to White America,
Maybe your words were some sort of guidance,
for the innocents,
who really believe
that our problems have been solved,
and that they have been cleansed once more,
as if they ever have been.
It is a belief,
a state of mind,
that they suffer from.
As you know so well,
not a single thing is or ever was innocent
about the innocents:
those who run, run, run
away from White America’s truth,
because they tire of the answers,
and look for questions instead.
© 2016 Zoe Smith-Holladay
african Voices

15