Locomotion

In “Lili’s New Mama’s House,” Lonnie reflects on how he’s constantly looking for God, as Lili asked him to do. He recognizes God when a warm bus arrives quickly in the cold weather and when he sees his sister. In the living room of Lili’s new house, Lonnie is careful to act properly so that her adoptive mother won’t think poorly of him. As the sun shines in the window, Lonnie is happy that his sister has a nice home to live in, and he tells her that God is present. In “Church,” Lonnie describes going to church on Sundays with Miss Edna and one day surreptitiously writing the word “hope” on his hand.

In the next two poems, Lonnie recounts the strengths of those around him at school. First, in “New Boy Poem IV,” he labels Clyde’s soccer talents as magical. In “Teacher of the Year,” a television news crew comes to their classroom because Ms. Marcus has won the award. Lonnie hears the reporter praising Ms. Marcus for working with “underserved” youth, and the kids know that the man is calling them poor. When Angel is interviewed, he talks about his father, who reads to him and buys him expensive sneakers. After telling the reporter that poetry is his favorite part of school, Lonnie reluctantly reads his poem “Birth.” The adults and many of his classmates like it.

In church on “Easter Sunday,” Lonnie feels like he doesn’t know anything, even with Lili’s Bible. After mass, Rodney, Miss Edna’s son, visits. “Rodney” describes how he calls Lonnie “little brother,” which makes him happy. While they feast, Rodney explains that he plans to move home; Lonnie is enamored with Rodney.

In “Epitaph Poem,” Lonnie writes a tribute to his mother, and in “Firefly,” he pays homage to the elusive insect. One day, Lonnie catches a firefly, and Miss Edna instructs him to make a wish because wishes on fireflies always come true. Next, Lonnie writes “The Fire,” recalling how his parents died. That day, Lonnie and Lili went on a church trip to the Bronx Zoo, so their parents planned to go on a date. When the kids left, Lili blew a kiss to her mother, and Lonnie wonders if it is still floating out there.

In “Almost Summer Sky,” Ms. Marcus declares that Lonnie has “a poet’s heart” (87), which brings him joy. Later, as Lonnie walks with Rodney, he puts his arm around Lonnie’s shoulders and tells him about the beautiful trees in upstate New York. When he calls Lonnie “little brother” again, Lonnie considers it a perfect moment. He can’t imagine living anywhere else and considers this home. As Rodney talks about the trees and the shade they provide, he offers to give Lonnie some shade too.

“Clyde Poem I: Down South” is the first time Lonnie calls the new boy by name in a poem title. Clyde used to live in Georgia, which he loved because of the pecans, pine trees, and sunshine. Lonnie stands with him at recess and remembers Georgia too. Then, the day Eric comes back to school, Lonnie dubs it the “First Day of School.” His friend seems smaller and quieter and doesn’t respond to being called “dog.” Instead, Eric stares off into the distance.

Next, Lonnie writes another epistle poem, titled “Dear God.” In it, he questions some of the things he read in the Bible. Additionally, he wonders about how people blame God when tragedies happen, concluding that He had a hand in his parents’ deaths. Lonnie finishes the letter by asking for a sign that his parents are okay in heaven.

In “LaTenya II,” the girl leaves her jump rope game to join Lonnie. Sitting there, he notices a bump on her hand, so he asks about it. In response, she hides her hand, but eventually tells him that she used to have extra fingers. LaTenya asks if he thinks she’s a “freak.” Instead, he wants to tell her she’s beautiful, but he can’t, so he just touches the bump on her hand and says no.

The final poem, “June,” begins as Lonnie anticipates a two-week summer camp with Lili. However, on this day in June, they walk in a park together at a church gathering. He basks in the sun’s warmth and holds his sister’s hand. The church ladies call Lonnie sweet, and he sees God everywhere. Earlier, Ms. Marcus told Lonnie he had “a gift,” and he notes that now the ideas constantly come to him; sometimes he even must get up in the middle of the night to write them down. He no longer hears the voice telling him to be quiet. In fact, everything about this day whirls into poetry in his head.