Objects In Mirror is an intensely powerful look at race through the eyes of Black & White Americans. It is an compilation of conversations, thoughts, colloquialism, sayings, quotes, and statements written in poetic form. Objects mixes the historical with modern day social events and it challenges a community and country to reclaim its values. The conversations listed were compiled over one year as I traveled across country. The title is a reference of those things that are close to us but appear much farther, seen or unseen.
Objects In Mirror is an intensely powerful look at race through the eyes of Black & White Americans. It is an compilation of conversations, thoughts, colloquialism, sayings, quotes, and statements written in poetic form. Objects mixes the historical with modern day social events and it challenges a community and country to reclaim its values. The conversations listed were compiled over one year as I traveled across country. The title is a reference of those things that are close to us but appear much farther, seen or unseen.
OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE
CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR
They said we were born
From Kings and Queens
And of diamonds & things
From a Georgia Dreamer,
Three Justice Supremes.
A Free World Leader
To winning Oscars it seems
But the images that I see
On my television screen
Is a culture that appears
less fortunate than most
To Condeleeza, Harold Ford,
Thomas Sowell, I toast.
We’re seen as thugs and hooks
Each other’s lives we took
To hide it from a Black man
They say, just “Put it in a book”.
Are we a “culture” glamorizing
The life of a half-way crook?
If so, should we still expect America
To give us a 2nd look?
Poetry has long been used as a medium for social change. London Bridges’ Objects in Mirror combines art with advocacy in a way that’s refreshingly honest, sharp, and hopeful. Ripe with political, religious, historical, and pop culture references, this poem weaves together a narrative that both critiques and captures our distinct moment in time.
Each stanza is a new encounter. There are times when Bridges clearly name-drops specific individuals, films, books, or speeches, and other times when he uses quotes or more indirect references. Additionally, a rhyming scheme can be used in one stanza but then disregarded in the next. Although that aspect might not be for everyone, the slightly disjointed feeling aids the readers’ experience in understanding the uncertainty of Black men in the United States.
I particularly enjoyed the prolonged metaphors in certain sections. For instance, when Jackie Robinson is briefly named, words relating to baseball continue onto the next page even after Robinson is done being directly discussed. Similarly, the word “Will” is smartly used leading up to the lines referencing the Will Smith/Chris Rock slap controversy. This creativity with language and meaning is one of the things I love most about poetry.
In this poem, Bridges weaves in mentions of everything from gun violence to standardized testing, from MLK’s assassination to the Black Lives Matter movement, from Donald Trump’s corrupt presidency to the OJ trials. As he desires in the preface, it is certainly a challenge (in the best way) to our culture. Furthermore, I found it interesting to see topics that are often controversial even within the Black community, such as the use and origin of the N-word, black athletes being told to prioritize sports over education, as well as the possible glorification of “hood”/street culture.
I admire this poem’s scope across history and across different subjects, but I did find that the Black male experience was being favored and I wished there was more inclusion of Black women. For instance, when names like Michael Brown and George Floyd came up, I expected to see Breonna Taylor. Near the poem’s ending, it is only “young Black men” being told to sit down and hear the truth.
Overall, I found Objects in Mirror a gripping read. It is the kind of poem that begs to be read aloud—chanted even. There’s an undercurrent of electricity here that Bridges has seized with both hands. I highly recommend.