Rumors of Ouroboros

By Erica Jean Smith

Is it true that we are food?

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Who's eating us?

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Is it us? Is it them?

 

Rumors of Ouroboros is the narratives, stories, and a mix of different poetic forms to express the figurative "eating away" of the Black human experience. It is a treatise of the sad soul, the brave soul, and the creative soul of a people hurting with joy and a lack thereof. Some verses are provocative, while others are whimsical and sexy.

 

Like ouroboros, we are in perpetual, eternal renewal and hope to be refreshed once more...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Erica Jean Smith
• Release date: Jul 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223998723

Book preview

Erica Jean Smith

RUMORS OF

Ouroboros

Copyright © 2023 Erica Jean Smith

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Printed in the United States of America.

First printing, 2023

Cover Design by Erica Jean Smith

Interior images created by author or found on Pixabay and Creative Fabrica.

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Jesus answered: Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah', and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

Matthew 24:4-8 NIV

οὐροβόρος- Ouroboros or tail eating

Originated from ancient Egypt and the magical thought of the Greeks. The idea has many meanings and symbols: the eating of one’s tail can be seen as sexual, as the tail represents the male phallus and the mouth is the yoni.

Or it can be the symbol of death and rebirth.

Or the shedding of a snake’s skin can be viewed as the transmigration of a soul.

The many poems in this work may represent all of these or, depending on your interpretation, none of these.

Ouroboros in our community can simply mean we are devouring ourselves as others devour us.

ˈpre-də-tər

In the movie Avatar, the largest bird, called Toruk or last shadow, is part of the Na’vi lore. It is a beautiful, terrifying creature of great stature. A king. I remember this bird and what it symbolized more than anything in the movie because of one simple line. If you recall, Jake remembered that this bird was an apex predator, and because apex predators are dominant, they never look behind them or look up. This was how Jake was able to capture the bird and place it under his submission.

When Black people ask, "Why are we targeted? My only answer now is, We are targeted because we’ve always been viewed as food."

This may seem like a maudlin approach. A depressive state of mind to be in, but when I think of food, I think of how tasty it can be. How delectable and vital it is to us.

Some food, like cabbage, romaine, and green leafy veggies are great for washing our liver