Miner's Canary

One of the most prolific professors that I've heard speak is Lani Guinier, a Harvard law professor and a hard-core education activist. She wrote a book analogizing minorities to a miner's canary - the small yellow bird that is sent into the mine cave or shaft to gauge poisonous gas and instability before the miner's risk their lives. The canary is a barometer.

I got to hear her speak as part of the 50th Anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education in Lawrence, KS, and wrote this after hearing her speak.

***Everyone who is interested in education/exploratory learning, in creating schools, encouraging global dialogue, or in creating policies informed by race/class or should check out her great website: http://www.racetalks.org/indexfla.html

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Miner’s Canary


Canaries
blowing by
swirling lines exciting
terror wronged
swinging out of hollow rock
soft yellow underbellies
beaking toxic knowledge
triumverate

terror has held us for a history
and back beyond the
sad silent store of infinity
lost muscle breaks loose
singing the death of nostalgia

who among us
born in future centureies
will believe this

so very far
far so very rude
pulling my mind a steel drum

these are words nothing more
miners directing an orchestra of mud

the wings lapping wind against body
censured land bare
the brightness
the hardness
frayed in human mind
strength and indifference

we shall say
we heard the canary sing its plain song
and we lined white teeth
with long held dreams