All I really can say is that, Black Movie by Danez Smith is not an easy read. Which really is an understatement. It needs to be read slowly and without distractions. And a reread could be helpful. This book, no matter how much you like poetry, will not be for everyone. You might empathize but you probably will not be able to relate to many subjects presented. Again; this is not an easy read.
The format of the poems can be awkward. There is literally repetition of lines making it all blur together, basically making nonsense. Yet, that is the point. There is a reality inside of the insanity of the fact the act happens over and over and over and over and never changes. One poem is just text on text on text. There is no way to read anything on the page. Poems about death, odes to young black people killed, and growing (or not) in today’s world.
And then there is Dinosaurs in the Hood which starts off as a sweet story about a boy playing with a dinosaur but turns into a commentary about everything already given to us. This is the poem that I was first introduced to Smith and their writing. Black Movie is probably the first book that I think reading it alone cannot give you everything the poet wants you to have. Find this author’s videos. As all Button Poetry poets, they are spoken word artist as much as the written word artist.
With that said, Smith knows how to turn a phrase. Black Movie may not have been meant for me as a reader, but it is meant for the right reader. And when they find each other, magic will be made.