You're Dead, America
Poem by Danez Smith
i fed your body to the fish
traded it at lunch for milk
i know where they buried you
'cause it’s my mouth
they tell me bootstraps
& i spit up a little leather
they tell me Christ
but you don’t have black friends
during the anthem
i hum "Niggas in Paris"
i cha cha slide over the flag
C-walk on occasion
i put a spell on you
it called for 3/5s of my blood
apple pie, red
bones & a full moon
but instead i did it
in the daylight, wanting you
to see me ending you
stupid stupid me
i know better than to fuck
with a recipe
i don’t make chicken
when I don’t have eggs
look at what i did: on the TV
the man from TV
is gonna be president
he has no words
& hair beyond simile
you’re dead, America
& where you died
grew something worse –
crop white as the smile
of a man with his country on his side
a gun on his other
//
tomorrow, i’ll have hope.
tomorrow i can shift the wreckage
& find a seed.
i don’t know what will grow
i’ve lost my faith in this garden
the bees are dying
the water poisons whole cities
but my honeyed kin
those brown folks who make
up the nation of my heart
only allegiance i stand for
realer than any god
for them i bury whatever
this country thought it was
Credits
A FILM BY
Jovan Todorovic
POEM BY
Danez Smith
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
Todd Boss
Egg Creative
Claire McGirr
PRODUCED BY
Stink Films
All:Expanded
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
Jeff Baron
Blake Powell
Daniel Bergmann
Jovan Todorovic
PRODUCER
Emi Stewart
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Albert Salas
EDITOR
Milena Z. Petrovic
PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Jose Cavazos
COSTUME DESIGNER
Akua Murray Adoboe
HAIR & MAKEUP ARTIST
Allie Smith
MUSIC BY
Nenmanja Mosurović
COLORIST
Mikey Rossiter
STARRING
Leal Zielińska
Waheedah Shaheed
Malcom Boyd
Sebastian Abarbanell
Misa Kinno Lucyshyn
Yana Bovenistier
Gys De Villers
Rokiatou "Rocky" Kaba
Alina Carson
Tom Martone
Wesley B. Volcy
Rew Starr
MOVEMENT ADVISORS
Sidra Bell
David Flores Productions
VOICE OVER
Elton E. Jones
VOCAL
Draganna Jovanović
CASTING BY
Emily Fleischer
Jovan Todorović
Emi Stewart
PRODUCTION CORDINATOR
Ivan Lafayette
LOCATION MANAGER
Katy Hallowell
Andrew Samaha
CREATIVE CONSULTANT
Orly Anan
SET DRESSOR
Jordan Abrams
FIRST ASSISTANT CAMERA
Megaera Stephens
FILM LOADER
Jonathon Henry
Helen Cassell
STEADICAM OPERATOR
Axel Ebermann
GAFFER
Geoff Taylor
KEY GRIPS
Hamilton Yu
Mark Solomon
PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS
Brana Živković
Carly Krim
Max Jablonsky
Magnus Diehl
Matt Egan
Jordan Abrams
Jordan Alleman
VISUAL EFFECTS
Framestore NYC
ANIMATION
Georgios Cherouvim
Phil Robinson
COMPOSITING
Gigi NG
Liz Yang
DATA SERVICES
Stuart Clark
TELECINE
The Mill NYC
COLOR PRODUCER
Evan Baur
SOUND DESIGN & MIX
Taylorsound.com
SPECIAL THANKS
Kodak Motion Picture Film
Framestore
The Mill
Sidra Bell Dance New York
Stink
SMUGGLER
Kodak
Kaya Williams
Bear Schmidt
Handheld Films
Below The Line
"You're Dead, America" poem by Danez Smith ©2015 Danez Smith
Used by permission.
Originally appeared on Buzzfeed. From Don't Call Us Dead (Grayworld Press, 2017).
Screenings
2018
Motionpoems New York City Premiere
Motionpoems LA Premiere
2019
Motionpoems Dublin Premiere