The brothers’ related banter…
John: How are you?
Hank: Well, uh, the day that we are recording this podcast, uh, i-it-it is a week ago, as you people listening to it, or maybe more than that, but, is the day we found out that David Bowie died. And, I’m very sad, and having, uh, I’m dealing with that.
John: Indeed, we must, we must pause to give thanks for the life of David Bowie, who was, uh, such a, uh, astonishing revelation in so many worlds, uh, not just music, but, uh, in the way that he presented himself, in the way the way that he shifted between identities. Truly, um, a man ahead of his time.
Hank: Yes. Yes, very helpful for me, um, to have David Bowie as a sort of ro-role model, uh, not in all things, of course, but in many. And, uh, I am sad. So, the local radio station is, is playing only David Bowie on vinyl this day. And I was just sitting in my car, uh, very very hard to leave that. But, here I am for Dear Hank and John! A comedy podcast about death. So appropriate today.
John: It couldn’t-couldn’t be a better day to do a comedy podcast about death (Hank laughs in the background). Uh, would you like a short poem for the day. I should’ve done something David Bowie-centric, but I didn’t. Hank I wasn’t properly prepared.
Hank: That’s fine. I accept your apology.
John: Instead I’ve got a Sonia Sanchez poem for you today. Do you know Sonia Sanchez? She was born in Birmingham, Alabama (my hometown, not yours, even though we’re brothers) and great– just a brilliant poet and one of the best love poets we have in the world today, I think, although she also writes blisteringly and beautifully about race and sex and feminism and lots of other things. But this is a very short poem called “Black Magic” by Sonia Sanchez.
(Reads poem)
John: “Black Magic” by Sonia Sanchez.
Hank: Short poem!
John: Very short poem for the day, Hank. I thought, uh, I feel like I’ve been lengthening the definition of short poems lately–
Hank: Yes.
John: –on Dear John and Hank and I feel like I might be losing some listeners in the process, so go check out Sonia Sanchez if you’re not familiar with her work. It is full of richness and she’s just a wonderful wonderful poet. Yeah, I don’t know. Next week, Hank, I’ll have a poem for you about grief. How’s that? We’ll remember David Bowie a week after his death, which as listeners are listening will be like 6 months after his death.
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Click to read poem
magic my man is you turning my body into a thousand smiles.
black magic is your touch making me breathe.
John Green Reads Poetry 