Kelly DeMaegd reads her poem inspired by the Fanjoy Labrenz work at the September 17, 2016 Art of Poetry event. The next event at Hickory Museum of Art will be on Saturday, December 3, 2016 and submissions for consideration will be accepted through November 19. Photo courtesy of Roger and Ginny Sanford.

Kelly DeMaegd
IMAGES, 1967
After “Untitled” by Fanjoy Labrenz
(SX-70 Polaroids)

Hey, meet the swinger
Polaroid Swinger

I wanted that camera
wanted to draw with light
capture Barbie in her roadster,
green army men riding shotgun
photograph my brother hawking worms
from his corner night crawler stand

It’s more than a camera
it’s almost alive

wash the dishes, iron hankies
save my allowance, buy that camera
it could be my ticket out
desperate for travel, Detroit maybe,
try on hats at Hudson’s, work for the Free Press
make my way to 12th Street and Clairmount

It’s only nineteen dollars
and ninety-five

police raided a blind pig there, all hell broke loose
they called it a civil disturbance
Governor Romney deployed 8,000 National Guardsmen
President Johnson sent 4,700 paratroopers
Martha Reeves, Willie Horton tried to help
no luck calming the frenzied mob

Swing it up (yeah yeah)
take the shot (yeah yeah)

tanks and machine guns
43 dead, including
Jason Jones, Clifton Pryor,
Fred Williams, John Leroy,
Tanya Blanding, Roy Banks
no crimes committed, they were in the way

count it down (yeah yeah)
zip it off

10,000 rioters, 100,000 spectators
2,536 guns looted from stores
2,000 buildings destroyed
1,189 injured, 7,200 arrested
buried in the newspaper
images and words, black and white