Trouble Funk
Black music—funk, soul, disco—from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, coupled with the love shared by his parents, set the rhythm and inspiration for this collection, Douglas Manuel’s second after Testify, itself a Benjamin Franklin Award winner. He lives in Whittier, California, is an assistant professor of English at Whittier College, and teaches at Spading University’s low-res MFA program.
THESE EYES, 1986
Damon thought it could only happen to gay people,
but the Herald Bulletin said it clear as day:
Kokomo Boy HIV Positive.
The little boy wasn’t nothing
but 13, which was the same name as the freeway
that would take you from Kokomo to Anderson.
Due north on the 13 and west on the 35,
and you’ll be there before three good songs
played on the radio. In Kokomo, in 1930,
they lynched a man. Damon’s mama told him:
all the white folks in Kokomo came out to see that
brother dangle from the tree. When Damon was 13,
in history class, he learned that Kokomo was named
after Chief Kokomoko.
25 SPACES INDENT HERE The class laughed
as the teacher told them that Ma-Ko-Ko-Mo
was the name of the chief’s tribe.
Reviewed by
Matt Sutherland
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
