There are more beautiful things than Beyoncé response

“I was born this way: unsatisfied” (22). Morgan Parker’s There are more beautiful things than Beyoncé brought me into the world of a black poet and her muses, Beyoncé, Jay Z, Diggable Planets, Lou Reed and Quasimoto. A good amount of her poems are titles of songs such as “take a walk on the wild side” and “Rebirth of slick.” She weaves black feminism, sexuality, hip hop, depression, pop culture and self care in her collection of poems. Poems that stood out to me would have to be the opening poem “All they want is my money my pussy my blood” now if that is not a poem to get a reader’s attention, I don’t know what is. It’s wonderfully unapologetically black, it is angry but as a womxn of color I relate to the “They,” she is speaking about especially when looking at my bank account as a graduate student or when I’m grocery shopping. One line that stood out to me was “I’m looking into their black faces. They do not understand that they do not exist” (3). Parker is talking about a group of black students she is talking to at a museum, students still developing, finding their identity and the author has many questions about identity herself, most importantly black womanhood in contemporary society and it is written and woven throughout her book.

 In Another Another Autumn in New York, Parker writes, “When I drink anything out of a martini glass I feel untouched by professional and sexual rejection” (8) which falls under much of her humorous but also real and relatable side. When we are tough on ourselves alcohol can become a self medicator (not that I am saying she is) but she seems to use alcohol in a way to ease many fears, insecurities and certain things beyond her control. All of which are relatable because the world is a tough place and sometimes we just need to numb it out from time to time. In the same poem she also writes, “ I am a dreamer with empty hands and I like the chill” (8) I like this line because it shows Parker’s vulnerable side and stating the part with empty hands, sounds like saying she has nothing but at the same time she likes the coldness of nothing.

One of my favorite poems was “My vinyl weighs a ton” because it pays tribute to Peanut Butter Wolf and the Stones Throw documentary under the same title. I know this book is mostly about beyoncé but her underground hip hop references are what really steal my heart. The line “I’m a rare EP strutting into the brown morning” has some beautiful imagery and language in just one line. I like to collect vinyls so this line hit a particular place in my heart. Also “Sit down shut up slip me out of my sleeve” is definitely poetry to vinyl lovers’ ears because it is describing the artful intimacy of taking a record out of its record sleeve. Oof!

I could write about 10 more poems I loved but I’ll talk about the last one that was one of my favorites, Please wait (or, there are more beautiful things than beyoncé), I found this poem to be hearting wrenching, powerful and humorous, it is a like a love letter to oneself. Finding things beautiful in the world rather than comparing herself to someone that has hit a genetic lottery times ten. “There are things more beautiful than Beyonce; Lavender, education, becoming other people, The fucking sky” (76). Not only is this poem about self care but about self love as a black woman showing there are other things more beautiful than how American culture may view black womxn. She is reclaiming the complexities, the insecurities, the strength, the humor, the vulgar and the sexual side of black womanhood in this collection of poems and it is a beautiful thing.