Sermons from the Smell of a Carcass Condemned To Begging

by Tony Medina

Poetry. SERMONS FROM THE SMELL OF A CARCASS CONDEMNED TO BEGGING is a long poem, consisting of 96 sermons in the voice of a homeless persona or everyman named Broke. It is the first in a series, which includes PICTURES OF BROKE and BROKE ON ICE. Broke is in the tradition of Langston Hughes' Simple and Charlie Chaplin's Tramp, as well as Nicanor Parra's Christ of Elqui and Zbigniew Herbert's Mr. Cognito. (Author's Note) Those that murder me / say that I'm responsible / for my falling hair / for my lack of air / I'm responsible / for my ribs / caving in / for my tongue / drying out for the stars / that stain / about my eyes / that can't even / vomit tears (Broke Mirror Image). Tony Medina is the author of ERGE & See, NO NOOSE IS GOOD NOOSE, and co-editor (with S.E. Anderson) of the award-winning anthology IN DEFENSE OF MUMIA. Born in the South Bronx, he currently lives in Langston Hughes and Malcolm X's Harlem, and is a professor of English.

114 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1998

About the author

Tony Medina is a poet, graphic novelist, editor, short story writer, and author. Born in the South Bronx and raised in the Throgs Neck Housing Projects, Medina earned a BA in English at Baruch College, CUNY, on the GI Bill, and an MA and PhD at Binghamton University, SUNY, where he received the Distinguished Dissertation Award. Medina has published 22 books for adults and young readers, the most recent of which are Che Che Colé; Death, With Occasional Smiling; Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black Boy; I Am Alfonso Jones; and Resisting Arrest: Poems to Stretch the Sky. Medina’s awards include the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People, the Langston Hughes Society Award, the first African Voices Literary Award, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award honor, and Special Recognition from the Arnold Adoff Poetry Award. He has appeared in several documentaries and CD compilations and has read/performed his work all over the United States, as well as in Germany, France, Poland, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and the Netherlands. The first professor of creative writing at Howard University, Medina’s poetry, fiction and essays appear in over 100 journals and anthologies, including Sheree Renée Thomas' Dark Matter, Ishmael Reed’s Hollywood Unchained and Kevin Young’s Library of America anthology, African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle & Song, and as an advisory editor for Nikki Giovanni’s Hip Hop Speaks to Children. Medina has also been featured on NBC's philanthropic reality show, Give, PBS’ White House Chronicle, CBS’ Great Day Washington, SiriusXM’s Kids Place Live, Medgar Evers College’s Writers on Writing, Forbes magazine, and has worked extensively with the non-profit literary organizations Say It Loud, Behind the Book, and Meet the Writers. Medina's book, Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black Boy, was featured on Let's Learn NYC for PBS. Follow him on Facebook; Twitter: @PoetTonyMedina and Instagram: poettonymedina. His website is tonymedina.org.