A Revolutionary Poet:

Angelina Weld Grimké

The Black Finger

I have just seen a beautiful thing

Slim and still,

Against a gold, gold sky,

A straight cypress,

Sensitive

Exquisite,

A black finger

Pointing upwards.

Why, beautiful, still finger are you black?

And why are you pointing upwards?

(1925)

The poem, “The Black Finger,” by the largely unknown poet Black female poet, Angelina Weld Grimké, exemplifies a type of revolutionary thinking that could benefit us today. While fighting against oppression is absolutely necessary, Grimké shows that there are many ways to do so. Grimké was writing in a time of severe racial oppression, but she chose to take a different approach from one based on a defensive positioning. Rather, she chose to center her people and to see herself, and her people, as a divine force.

The poem revolves around the image of a cypress tree and has a photographic or painterly quality to it. The image that comes to my mind in this poem is that of an empty field in which a single cypress tree stands tall. It is in silhouette—a black tree surrounded by a golden sunset or sunrise sky. In describing the tree, the poet is actually describing her people.

The first line of the poem is an absolute and unequivocal assertion—she HAS just seen a beautiful thing, and there is no question of its beauty. It is beautiful in its own right, not in comparison or opposition or defensiveness to anything or anyone else.

The tree is described as “slim.” The word “slim,” as opposed to a similar word like “skinny,” has a sense of elegance to it. While “skinny” has a more negative sense to it—a sense of unhealthiness—“slim” has a whole different feel. This is not a huge, sprawling tree. This is a tree that is strong and healthy, graceful, dignified, and lithe. The tree is also “still,” which suggests it stands tall and proud and is not being buffeted by winds that cause it to bend and break. This sense of stillness also has a divine quality to it, a suggestion of “be still and you can hear the Lord.” The tree needs nothing but itself and is comfortable in its quiet contemplation without need for noise or for validation from others.

The tree is surrounded by a “gold, gold sky” and so is haloed by the richness of nature. This gives the tree a sense of being blessed and divine, the Chosen One, with the sky itself serving as its halo. While the word “gold” is so often associated with material wealth, the poem reminds us that there is a different kind of wealth that we can embrace. It is the wealth of culture, of community, of self-love. Gold is a warm color, a sensory and vibrant color, and this is how Grimké sees her people—warm, rich, vibrant, blessed.

The cypress tree itself has Biblical references, and it is important to note that she chooses this type of tree as opposed to a weeping willow, which has a sense of sadness to it, or an oak tree, which is thick and bulky in its own type of beauty. The cypress tree, by contrast, has strength within its slender frame, a strength that is both feminine and masculine in quality. The tree stands up straight. No matter what gales of oppression and violence attack it, this tree continues to remain upright and powerful, never crooked, never broken.

The tree is described as “sensitive.” In our world today, “sensitive” has taken on a negative quality, as if it is a type of weakness. The poem shows that it is anything but weak to be sensitive. The word has to do with our senses, and the importance of being open and awake to the beauty all around us. To be in touch with the senses is to be mindful and aware of all the world has to offer. There is great courage in vulnerability and sensitivity—it allows for empathy and compassion, and a lack of self-centeredness and selfishness.

In the horrific history of enslaved Africans, there are many texts that asserted that Black people were not human. In choosing the word “sensitive,” Grimké humanizes her people, for to be sensitive is to be capable of perceiving and appreciating beauty, which is a uniquely human quality. The word is also a way of fighting back against the stereotypes that continue to plague Black people today, and to put their lives in constant danger. There is a perception, for example, of the Black man as being hypermasculine, even monstrous and dangerous, which can be seen in light of the many murders of Black men that have been occurring with alarming frequency. By using the word “sensitive” to describe the tree—and in reality, her people—Grimké asks us to reverse these destructive stereotypes that so often lead to a tragic and preventable loss of life. “Sensitive” is both masculine and feminine: a sensitive man is a beautiful man, an enlightened man, as is true too for women. Being sensitive is the best of what we, as human beings, have to offer.

The tree is “exquisite” and so shows the utter uniqueness of her people, the gorgeousness of Black culture and Black people with their singular and exceptional qualities. Exquisite is about perfection and beauty in uniqueness, not as defined against anything or anyone else. There are no other cultures like those of her people, and these cultures are exquisite.

The tree, to Grimké, resembles a Black finger as it stands silhouetted by the sky, and alone in its peaceful solitude. The image recalls, for me, that of a preacher with his hands held open facing upwards, evoking God. The tree—this finger—points upwards always, despite the storms of atrocity it—her people—have endured. The word “up” is one we associate also with heaven, and so is another reference to the divine quality of her people.

The final stanzas show the poets sheer awe at the tenacity and endurance of her people. It is her sense of amazement that a people who have historically and currently endured so many unimaginable hardships still continue to face and move upwards, to believe in themselves and to stand strong and proud, assured of their uniqueness and their utterly exquisite beauty.

It is stunning to think about—that a community that has fought through centuries of oppression from the transatlantic slave trade and the grotesque institution of slavery in America—continues to thrive and to better all of us, our whole world, every day with consistent and contributions in all fields: the arts, sciences, mathematics, academia, technology, innovation, and the list goes on. It is a testament to the strength and endurance and grace, the blessedness and sheer beautiful power, of Black people and cultures around the globe.