My heart is breaking as I’m reading this,
Mat Johnson’s tale of black passing as white
In rural Mississippi’s raw abyss
Of racism, of murder and of spite.
Our hero, Zane, has made a pseudonym
Of naming names and calling crimes as crimes :
His skin is light and he’s no fool. His grim
Crusade brings him right up against his times,
Confronting hate, betrayal, murder and
His own role as the Incognegro, which
He’s proud to have until what he has planned
Goes off the rails when his friend gets the itch
To come along. I’d say this work compares
To Spiegelman’s and Sacco’s startling wares.

CROSS-POSTED FROM MY WEBSITE http://suppertimesonnets.blogspot.com