Gwendolyn Elizabeth Blakely Brooks

I'm a poet, and I've studied some of Mrs. Brooks works in college. There is much that I can and will learn from her. Rest in peace. (Acts 24:15)

Gwendolyn was a great poet and writer. She wil be missed.

I did not know that Gwendolyn Brook died. I am very sad of hearing it today. I admired her strength and dedication to the african american community. She will be missed.

Not many can radiate

her zawadi smile--

a gift from the depth

of her essence--

a smile with the corners

of her mouth

turned down



She embodied a spirit

clear to her mission

of understanding

and motivating children

She inspired them to soar

on validated self esteem

they might otherwise not have

uncovered



She battled as regally as

Nzingah and Aminah

shattering Moynihan myths

that belied a blueprint for

destruction of our families



And whether we were dim

or fully developed children

we salute her legacy

knowing she recognized

each of us...all of us

and

we loved her too

The Leaving of Gwendolyn Brooks



Conduct your blooming in the noise and whip of

the whirlwind.



Gwendolyn Brooks







It was all too fitting

That they had to dig through

A brutally thick ice-white blanket, and past

A stinging blizzard that even turned

Raised eyebrows white

To find the warmer, moist black soil

In which to properly bury

Gwendolyn Brooks.



What made it wondrous,though, were

All those blooming leaves.

…



Now we know why

The leaves wouldn't leave

On time this year.



No, they weren't lazy

Just

Waiting

All their colors spent,

Worked out,

Their greens, golds, vibrant oranges

Now all brown and tan, some even black.

They held on for dear life

Into early December.



Just hanging around

Out there

Out on a limb after limb

Precarious but prickly

Fragile but stubborn

Defying tradition, their place,

Refusing to fall on time

Making front page headlines

In the Chicago Tribune

For daring to stick around.

What is it that they want?



Gwendolyn Brooks must

Have loved those leaves

For holding on.

Now she has fallen

Moved on down and up

Passed on and into, leaving

Us

Her precisely passionate poetry

Sweetly defiant, prickly

Wise, stubbornly

Assertive, putting words

Where they hadn't belonged

Until then.



Saluting black

Beyond bleak, neglecting

Neglect, refusing

Refusal, holding

On.







So on her funeral day

A white whirlwind only she could sing

A white icy whip of a wind

Blew buckets of sticky, cottony snow

Into every crack in the city, every alley,

Every squinting eyelid.

Even boots, tight woolen caps

Large bookish eye-glasses

Could not protect

Us. Contain

The storm's furious beauty

Painting drab brownstones white

Turning alleys into frozen arctic seas



Even amid rows of now white castles

The trees dominated

Every trunk whitewashed

Every branch a Japanese painting

Every leaf an award-winning photograph.



And finally the leaves,

(Now they were Gwen's leaves

For she had led a workshop

The night before)

Joined the fury

Jumped off and into

The whirlwind

Danced circles around and through

Those clumsy, falling

Clumps of snow

Fell

Free

At

Last.



Some even jumped

Stayed

On top

Of that enormous, brutal, thick, cold, white blanket

Keeping it funky,

From being too white,

Adding punctuation,

Depth of contrast,

Fresh new meaning, like

Surprising

Words on what tried to be

A blank page.



Some audacious leaves,

Gwen's best pupils,

Jumped in the grave

With her.

She had invited them.



It was a proper burial.

More than proper.

It was her latest poem.



=====

Hank De Zutter

Reading and teaching your poems has been one of the truly enrichening experiences of my life.

THE DEATH OF GWENDOLYN BROOKS BLAKELY IS A TRUE LOST TO THE BLACK

AMERICA. I WILL NEVER FORGET ALL THE STUDIES IN SCHOOL ABOUT HER.

I NEVER HAD THE GOOD TASK OF MEETING

HER IN PERSON. BUT MY STUDIES AND HISTORY ON HER WILL REMAIN A LEGACY.

I learned about Gwendolyn Brooks' death over the internet via a listserv email, and I was devastated. Tears immediately came to my eyes, but because I was at work at the time, I could only exclaim my grief. Co-workers rushed to my side, asking what was wrong, and with eyes bright, I told them that one of the best Black female writers of all time had passed. Unfortunately, only one of them knew who she was and my grief became exasperated. How could these HBCU graduates not know who Gwendolyn Brooks was?



I first became acquainted with Brooks at a very young age when I was meddling in my mother's bookcase and pulled out Dudley Randell's Black Poets. I was immediately fascinated because even at that age, I knew I wanted to be a writer. Gwendolyn Brooks (as well as Sonia Sanchez and Nikki Giovanni) spoke to me like no other poets in the text. My love for her work continued to grow, and the year of my fifteenth birthday, my mother gifted me with an autographed copy of Maud Martha. With this novella, the desire to pursue my life-long dream of writing tripled. I was already becoming discouraged with the idea of writing poetry only, and when I saw the intimacy and power within Maud Martha, I knew that I could expand as well. Brooks' ability to retain her skill with imagery and impact took my breath away, and I know that will always be reaching for the goals she has left behind.



Losing Gwendolyn Brooks physically is a pain the entire Black community, writers or not, will continue to feel for many years to come, but her legacy and spiritual presence will cease to exist only when time does. I will consider it an honor and a pleasure to pass on my collection of Gwendolyn Brooks' works to my children and stress to them the importance and the need to pass it on to theirs.



Gwendolyn Brooks... thank you.

To a Black Woman



when I was twelve

a teacher brought you into my tiny

room

ignoring my sister’s sloppiness

disregarding the beaten up blanket

on my broken down bed

you told me stories



somewhere in some city

a lonely couple sat over a plate of beans

in some pool hall in an unnamed town

young men like my neighbors

wasted away their lives

proud to be so cool

destined to die much too soon



(one day maybe I will be a poet)



high school

you introduced me to this lady

who looked familiar

whose sister was “the pretty one” too

I felt less alone

like I had a friend



(can I be a writer?)



I am a woman now

a writer who is mad

at you

surprised by your selfishness



how dare you say goodbye

before I could say thank you

May your transition be as peaceful as your soul appeared to be to me .You reminded me of my aunt Didda whom I loved dearly.Your words shall be remebered.

What manner of woman was she? Gwendolyn Brooks was our teacher and friend. She loved and celebrated black people and black life, and she taught us that it was all right and necessary to love our black selves. She was a lover of humanity. I thank God for her example, for her service, for her body of work that will continue to energize, inspire, and guide us.



I will miss Miss Brooks.

Ms. Brooks inspired me as a young

child. She had a major impact on

my appreciation for poetry and I

will always admire her work and

introduce her writings to my children.

Decades ago, Gwendolyn Brooks established herself and earned her permanent place as a literary icon and canon in American Literaturre, where she shall remain, eternally, unmatched. I was inspired after being in the CSU classroom with her to write a proposal for an NEH grant, and received $18,000 for a project with teachers in 1992. My mission now is to make Gwendolyn Brooks a household name. I've started with my high school and college classes, and will extend. I encourage all to do the same. Haki Madhubuti referred to her as a 'living legend', we must see that the legend lives on . . .

What a blessing to have had your
beautiful life and spirit among us!
Rest in peace.

I will always think about the
ideas, the words, and the plans.

All of us who love words, who love
poetry, who love Chicago, who love
the South Side...



All of us who recognize the beauty
of an old couple, who feel the
strength of poor people, who find
the extraordinary in the ordinary...



Will miss Ms. Gwendolyn Elizabeth
Brooks

I'm so sorry to hear about your
lost. Mrs. Brooks was a great woman.
I attended the funeral and it was
beautiful. Have faith and know that
the Lord is there for you.

For the many visits she made to
various branches of the Chicago
Public Library but especially her
visits to the Carter G. Woodson
Regional Library. We will hold fond
memories of her persona and her
poetry.