A Star is Born in Plainfield
A sonnet for Dii Jon Allen-Jordan
Look. Listen! God told me I am the light
Said the roses in a crack of concrete
Said the mileage on his feet on the court
Said his darting eyes from city to coast
Light like me circles the earth and returns
Said the pothole which cradles the water
Said the world under the ocean seafloor:
I may deepen but I will not be moved
I am the light above and beneath us
I am the thin space between you and me
I am the pulsating fists in the air,
And the air which the fists are pulsating
I am the heart which will always love you
I am the cloud which falls on us as rain
By Tylie Shider
Biography
Poet, playwright, and filmmaker Tylie Shider’s recent plays include Certain Aspects of Conflict in the Negro Family (Premiere Stages, 2022), and The Gospel Woman (NBT). He is a two-time recipient of the Jerome Fellowship at the Playwrights’ Center and an I Am Soul playwright in residence at the National Black Theatre(NBT). He holds a BA in Journalism from Delaware State University and an MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU. A proud member of the Dramatist Guild, he is currently a Professor of Playwriting at Augsburg University.