dear white america

There are certain words that Smith uses to expertly remind readers of the ever-present legacy of slavery. One such word is “bid.” Towards the end of the poem, Smith writes, “until then i bid you well. i bid you war, i bid you our lives to gamble with no more” (Lines 34-35). In its first iteration, Smith plays on a familiar phrase to bid someone farewell, as in to say goodbye. In this context, “bid” expresses a greeting or a wish. However, when they repeat it a second time, they imbue this wish with violence; they bid white America war. In its third and final iteration, Smith negates the bid, taking their lives away from white America. In repeating this word and changing the meaning across the three iterations, the words itself begins to break down. Readers are therefore clued into the fact that Smith wishes readers to question the weight of the word. Another clue Smith gives is the word “gamble.” The definition transforms to offering a price. Smith cleverly uses this word to bring about the symbol and motif of auction bidding, which supports their thematic explorations of slavery.