Denise — B.Michael’s cherished mentor and friend — figures prominently in two of his poems: “Shades of U,” which he wrote upon her passing in 1990, and “No Space at Forty-One,” which he wrote less than two years before his own death in 2001.
A postcard to B.Michael from Denise in 1986, most likely during summer break.
1986-aruba-postcard-from-denise-carty-bennia1986-aruba-postcard-from-denise-carty-bennia-copy
dear bert,
greetings from the southern hemisphere. aruba, 12 miles from venezuela, is a desert-like paradise. sun, sand and even blowing tropical breezes. i am trying to relax and clear my brain, but it isn’t easy. even here, there are plenty of people trying to lay a trip on a single Black woman. i trust all goes well. don’t you dare move to n.y. before i get back! call you when i get back.
love, denise
