after Thomas Paine
& this time, we start with Blackness—
a holy Blackness—a radical love that bellows
from the womb of the cosmos for three days.
& like children, we sit & wait & listen & watch
history unfold from the very first breath,
before us, like new stars in nebulae.
Day One — We sit, though there is no space.
We wait, though there is no time.
We listen, though there is no sound.
We watch, though there is no light.
What we experience begins with a feeling—
a low rumble that creeps upon us,
like a floor to support the weight of children
who will become men & women tasked with making
this new world human again. We are still holding
hands, linked by our anticipation of the beautiful
that is to come. New stars form in the nebulae
surrounding us, glowing faintly with primordial fire.
We have rediscovered time.
For without Blackness, there can be neither light,
nor time no earthen vessel to call home,
that breathes & dies with every full rotation,
so we may live our days tending her soil
& partaking of her fruits, to enjoy the bite
of a fallen apple without the wiping of our brow.
Day Two — We sit on the floor of the cosmos, watching time unfold.
In the pulsing stars, each breath shakes the spaces between us,
millions of voices murmur indecipherable words.
We have rediscovered sound.
For without Blackness, there can be neither a voice to speak
nor a vibration to carry that which will be bellowed
to the shore of unknown frontiers.
Day Three — We stand on the floor of the cosmos, watching time unfold.
The stars have multiplied into billions & there’s enough light
to see each other, innocent children, skin the color of space dust:
from the most brilliant cream to the most radiant obsidian.
We are still holding hands & a voice from the cosmos
thunderously whispers — walk together toward the light
& when we take the first step, pads of light outline our feet
as we move in unison, one step at a time, two steps, three,
towards eternity, terraforming the cosmos as we go.
Unified breaths form clouds of joy & peace
in the atmosphere above, with rain that is only taught
benevolence & equity.
Careful steps sprout foliage & erect mountains
on which we’ll stand, elevated, together.
Laughter strengthens the bond
between the lion & lamb.
Tears fortify the pages of our shared history,
& reminds us of all we’ve endured to overcome.
We are still holding hands, one step away from the light,
ready to walk through with one voice & one body
& this time, from the beautiful mystery of a holy Blackness,
we’ll all say together: America will be.
Thomas Kneeland is a Black, Afrocuban poet and scholar whose research explores ancestry, ecological memory, and the effects of intergenerational trauma. He is the author of We Be Walking Blackly in the Deep. A child of the Deep South, Kneeland’s work reaches deep into the soil of his grandmother’s backyard for roots that run along the Mississippi, down to the Gulf, and onto the red clay shores of Cuba. Kneeland was recently nominated for Sundress Publications’ 2024 Best of the Net and is a 2022 Frontier Poetry Global Poetry Prize finalist. His publication credits include Modern Language Studies Journal, Southern Humanities Review, The Amistad, The Rumpus, South Florida Poetry Journal, and elsewhere.
Kneeland holds an MFA in poetry from Butler University, an MA in ministry from Wesley Seminary, and a BA in English writing from DePauw University. Recently, he was named a 2025 Emerging Scholar by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. Kneeland serves as an Assistant Professor of English at Anderson University, in Anderson, Indiana. Connect with him on Instagram @thomaskneelandpoetry or at thomaskneeland.com