alternate names for black boys

“Dinosaurs in the Hood” by Danez Smith (2014)

This poem, published in the December 2014 issue of Poetry Magazine, showcases Smith’s slam poetry roots. It is an impassioned monologue imagining a brand-new Jurassic Park movie by, starring, and for Black people. Smith liberally indulges in humor and pop culture references (for example: “This is not a vehicle for Will Smith / & Sophia Vergara” [Lines 19-20]). Smith grounds the humor in relevant social commentary, repeating the poignant line “& no one kills the black boy” (Lines 32-33) through the last full stanza. A video of Smith performing this poem at the Soap Boxing Poetry Slam in Saint Paul, Minnesota, is available on YouTube (“Danez Smith – Dinosaurs in the Hood.” Button Poetry, 2014).

“Super Sad Black Girl” by Diamond Sharp (2021)

This more recent poem is also an image-heavy list poem and concerns the lived Black experience. This poem rounds out “alternate names for black boys” with a look at Black womanhood in the current moment. Published in Poetry Magazine’s December 2021 issue, Sharp’s poem balances joy, pain, and resilience: “Abandon my mind. / Cry in public. / Want my ugly” (Lines 16-18).