Selected Poems by Jasanté Howard

“Strange Fruit, Still”

Strange fruit dangle out of reach,
within, what we cannot teach.
I face the wind, a human chief,
dreaming of submerged teeth
Puncturing the delicate flesh:
The blood on the leaves is fresh.
Swinging by my broken neck,
in tune with the insouciant peck.
Buzzards eat our umbral bodies.
I know who hangs on Yankee trees.

“Somniphobia” 

The cover of night is
for... 
regret
of another day’s
decisions, indecisions
chosen wrong, and
perhaps, 
mourning the resting ego,
but never to sleep. 

For to
sleep,
is to cease,
indeed, to
dream, 
and cessation defines
death. 

Those who cling to
life 
soonest have it seized, for
the waking state is not a
sustainable resource.

“Going Nowhere”

When going anywhere
away goes my air.
Counted breaths
bring little deaths
To what remains of me.

---

Jasanté Howard

8/26/2020

My name is Jasanté Howard and I’m a fourth year political science student at UC Davis. I’m passionate about research on social justice issues as well as art--I love producing hip hop and music in general, writing poetry, doing calligraphy, and basically anything that engages my creative side. I’m African American and grew up in Virginia, where I lived until I moved out here alone at 18. The experiences I had growing up there combined with the variety of struggles I faced while homeless before transferring to Davis all heavily influence my art. I’ve been writing poetry since I was about 18 years old, but have only recently begun sharing it.

Cover Art: Untitled by Jasanté Howard