Jay Maul

I'd like to consider a theme that I found to be common in several of the poems in Armor and Flesh. A handful of poems near the beginning of the book illustrate the notion of an “inside me” versus an “outside me,” or some kind of internal struggle, in which the narrator seeks self-peace. Five poems that obviously exhibited this idea are: One Black Girlhood, In the Street, Shook, Euridice to Orfeu in the Basement, and Hello, Monster. Obadike weaves these poems together using common diction and simple imagery; and for this reason, I think the sum of the poems helps tremendously in understanding each individual poem.

One Black Girlhood and In The Street
These are the first two poems in the book, and I think it's safe to assume the man in the first is the same person as the man in the second. In One Black Girlhood, the narrator introduces the two characters, the man and the girl, and In the Street depicts and struggle between them. The narrator says “We are fighting”; although the two are fighting, she says “I know he is protecting me,” and “I know he loves me,” reinforcing the concept of an internal struggle (fighting and protecting at the same time?).

Shook
This one was my favorite, and it's full of references to other poems. The first two stanzas set up a scene in which the narrator is observing an extremely obnoxious woman who is “gushing” out words, who then goes silent, and “acts normal.” The imagery of the third stanza creates a mindset in which the narrator is very tense; there is a “rumbling, but she can't locate it.” The fourth stanza shows that the narrator is afraid. She feels like she's sweating, she feels like “everybody can see [her] shaking.” I feel that “everybody watching” is a reference to the situation of In the Street (where the action takes place “in the street”). This stanza conjures up a horrific, panicky, insecure mental state. The next stanza, justified differently than the rest, changes perspective. It represents the good person that exists among the others, and peace and self-comfort to the narrator. “She wants to protect the talking woman.” reminds me again of In the Street (“I know he is protecting me.”). And the sixth stanza... a happy ending? “We feel my flesh.” ... “we” makes me think that now, she is composed. Now, “Nothing shakes or rumbles.”

Euridice to Orfeu in the Basement
First off, I think she is talking to herself (it goes with the theme). The first thing I noticed was that this poem is very simple and choppy, but to-the-point and musical through the repetition. It leaves me with an image of the narrator, and another person, as Obadike puts it, “a distant she,” the two of which cannot coexist. One more thing... “Let me drift behind you,” I feel, could be a reference to the first poem, One Black Girlhold (“Watching myself over my shoulder.”) I think subtle connections like these play a big role in establishing a theme, and thus giving more meaning to each individual poem.

Hello, Monster
Also a very simple poem, the presence of the theme is very clear: “I'm afraid to see me creeping out.”

As I said, these poems can be found in the beginning of the book, possibly representing an internal struggle that the author had as a young person (?). I found it interesting that the last poem in the collection starts every line with “The best way to be [something] is ...,” and through the use of repetition, creates an attitude of bold self-confidence. It's possible that the progression of the poems and the evolution of their attitudes make a statement about the development of the author's self-peace.

One last thing... I think the quote in the beginning of the book really sums up the proposed internal struggle of youth.

My questions are...

Were the poems written in the order that they can be found in the book?

and

What's in the pages between those given? More poems? Pictures?