Kate Tempest writes poem “Brown Eyed Man” for Frank Ocean’s magazine

“Brown Eyed Man,” Boys Don’t Cry, p. 288.

In Frank Ocean’s magazine, Boys Don’t Cry, English writer Kate Tempest published a poem titled “Brown Eyed Man” that highlights the deaths and persecution of ‘brown-eyed men’ by police and others.

The two-page spread includes a photo collage of prominent victims, including: Aaron Campbell, Jamar Clark, James Brissette, Kendrec McDade, Trayvon Martin, Christopher Brown, Michael Brown, Timothy Stansbury Jr., Dane Scott Jr., Danroy Henry Jr., Eric Garner, Kimani Grey, Amadou Diallo, Freddie Gray Jr., Ramarley Graham, Sean Bell, Wendell Allen, and two others.

A transcript and scans of the magazine are provided below.

 

Transcript:

They took my friend.
They cuffed his wrists.
They beat him in the van.

He hadn’t done a thing
But when they came, he ran.
And they pursued

And they were rude
And he said nothing,
He bit his lip.

If you speak, you’ll feel their feet.
But if you don’t
you’ll still get hit.

What’s the matter with you,
my lovely brown eyed man?
I can feel you shaking
when I take you by the hand.

Tell me. What’s the matter,
my lovely brown eyed man?
How come I can feel you shaking
when I take you by the hand?

They want me bad, now bad I’ll be.
They keep me poor
they make me sick

They feed me with desires for
things that I don’t need that stick
their needles in my arms.

Expensive things I can’t afford.
They show me rooms furnished with gold
and then they close the doors.
What’s the matter with you,
my lovely brown eyed man?
I can feel you shaking
when I take you by the hand.
Please tell me,
what’s the matter
my lovely brown eyed man?
I’m a child of the gimme-more nation.
When they want something,
they launch an occupation.

They plunder and pillage
and they say that they’re saving.
They’re bombing and maiming.

They’re taking and taking.
But they lock me up,
and they paint me a demon
for trying to feed
my screaming children.
While they’re killing for money
and they’re crippling countries
and they’re doing it all
beneath a flag saying

Freedom.

Now, what’s the matter with you?
You’re lying if you think
that my pain isn’t your pain,
‘cause when I’m hit you flinch.

What’s the matter with you,
my lovely brown eyed man?
how come I can feel you shaking
when I take you by the hand?

Top Left: Aaron Campbell, Jamar Clark, James Brissette, Kendrec McDade, Trayvon Martin, Chris Brown, Mike Brown, Tim Stansbury, […], Dane Scott, DJ Henry, Eric Garner, Kimani Grey, Amadou Diallo, Tim Stansbury, […], Freddie Gray, Ramarley Graham, Sean Bell & Wendell Allen.

 

Scans:

Select a photo above or below to view it fullscreen.

Update 2019-06-14:

Kae Tempest (formerly Kate Tempest) released a spoken word performance of “Brown Eyed Man” on their album The Book of Traps and Lessons. The audio version includes minor changes to the 2016 poem published in Boys Don’t Cry magazine.

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