A goodly number of the . Make a list of positive and negative meanings for a river and discuss as a class. Before subjecting them to all shades of suffering. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Built over the water another. Men like me and my brothers filmed what we, Brought in seconds, colors you expect in poems. The water is one thing, and one thing for miles. The music of language brings us toward a kind of truth that is much more accurate than any fact could ever be.. Read more about the framework upon which these activities are based. 4, Celebrating Czesaw Miosz (Autumn, 1999), p. 692, Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma, The Massachusetts Review, Vol. Long as the sea. How does queerness intersect with other themes The inescapability of memory is displayed through the repeating structure of 'Duplex'. Such A Christian. My mother and father were very interested in their children being churched children. Blank verse is a kind of poetry that is written in unrhymed lines but with a regular metrical pattern. Line four ends with a symbolism: Star Gazer. This is based on an activity that Ive done for the past several years with my students on the first day. Than bravery. The Tradition is the titular poem from Pulitzer Prize winner Jericho Browns poetry collection. lay on the ground. Here are some by Ocean Vuong, Aziza Barnes, Robert Hayden, Frank OHara, Danez Smith, and more. They should consider line breaks, punctuation, and meaning when constructing the poem. Brown's best poems revel in the curiosities of their mythmaking and are self-confrontational in their gaze, as in the blunt, bold self-address of "Dark," which begins, "I am sick of your sadness,. Ive figured and counted. The Tradition is the titular poem from a poetry collection by Pulitzer Prize winner Jericho Brown. Jericho Brown invokes the legacy of a man central to his childhood and his entry into poetry. Is there a line or poem that expands or complicates how you think about queerness? Brown is an associate professor and the director of the Creative Writing program at Emory University in Atlanta. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); literature, literacy, reading, books of 2016. Best-of lists, seasonal collections of popular stories, and more. Heart Condition from The New Testament by Jericho Brown. That shame has to do with the fact that I'm a person who understands the power of gratitude." "The World Has Need of You," Ellen Bass What if you felt the invisible It is through you visiting Poem Analysis that we are able to contribute to charity. Trojan. His poems have appeared inthe Nation,the New Republic,the New Yorker, the Paris Review, Time, and several volumes of the The Best American Poetry anthologies. Walk it Early, walk it back when the day. About this poem, Jericho Brown says: I wrote Crossing in the midst of a depressive state about which I have a great deal of unnecessary and misplaced shame. The flame sinks. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); JSTOR Daily provides context for current events using scholarship found in JSTOR, a digital library of academic journals, books, and other material. It reachesLong as the sea. 40-41, Ploughshares, Vol. Crossing By Jericho Brown The water is one thing, and one thing for miles. Were much better than this. As a child, poet Jericho Brown went to church on Wednesdays and Sundays and "every day in between if we could." He grew up in an evangelical, fundamentalist family and often sang with the. The water is one thing, making this bridge, Early, walk it back when the day goes dim, everyone. You may unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the provided link on any marketing message. Im switching out poems though because I love the Jericho Brown poem Crossing and think it fits well. Poem Solutions Limited International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct,London, EC1A 2BN, United Kingdom. Jericho Browns The Tradition is forthcoming from Copper Canyon Press in March 2019. Jericho Brown 18-page comprehensive study guide Chapter-by-chapter summaries and multiple sections of expert analysis The ultimate resource for assignments, engaging lessons, and lively book discussions Access Full Guide Download Featured Collections Short Poems Books on Justice & Injustice Books on U.S. History Summary Background Poem Analysis What stands out? yourself and not be committed. 1 (OCTOBER 2017), p. 47. We work, start on one side of the day Like a planet's only sun, our eyes straight JSTOR is a digital library for scholars, researchers, and students. He tells of videos fellow blacks record as proof of their suffering. Learn more about Friends of the NewsHour. Set during the Polish-Soviet War of 19191920, Babels novel captured the indiscriminate violence and injustice of warfare. Im more than a conqueror, biggerThan bravery. After about five minutes, have students share their thoughts in small groups. All Rights Reserved. The water is one thing, making this bridge More Context for Teachers:The legacy that I want to leave, says Sonia Sanchezin a conversation with Major Jackson, is that I loved you that much that I needed to jerk your head back to really see the country for what it is. The speaker is an African American man living in todays US. blue sky. And we always get so close to greatness and then we just slide back down.Read more. He is the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard, and the National Endowment for the Arts, and he is the winner of the Whiting Award. He equates it to the way we think about rhyming poetry and form. Winner of the American Book Award for his first book "Please," Jericho Brown is also a recipient of the Whiting Writers Awards and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University and the Krakow Poetry Seminar in Poland. Brown, who won the American Book Award for his first collection Please, which was set against the backdrop of his passion for music, uses his new collection to question the scriptures he learned during his childhood. This week, Suzi F. Garcia speaks with one of her literary sheroes, Ada Limn. Still I am read by satellites my tendency extrapolated. Naomi Shihab Nye is the 2019-21 Young Peoples Poet Laureate of the Poetry Foundation in Chicago. One thing but also everything else. 1996 - 2023 NewsHour Productions LLC. Teach This Poemis a weekly series featuringa poem from our online poetry collection, accompanied by interdisciplinary resources and activities designed to help K-12 teachers quickly and easily bring poetry into the classroom. The word crossing refers, in part, to the grand crossing of the Atlantic in the Middle Passage, to the many rivers crossed by those fleeing enslavement, and finally to the great crossing from this mortal territory to the other unknown territory that we must all make. In the book, the speaker has a brother and their sibling rivalry mirrors that of biblical siblings, Cain and Abel, Joseph and his brothers, and Rachel and Leah to name a few. That was a phrase that they would use, Brown told Art Beat. This article originally appeared in The New Criterion, Volume 36 Number 10, on page 31 Copyright 2023 The New Criterion | www.newcriterion.com https://newcriterion.com/issues/2018/6/crossing-9865, Topics: This is what our dying looks like. One way you know youre in the middle of reading a really good poem is that the sounds of the poem almost come off the page as if someone is reading the poem to you or you find that when you read a poem, your lips are moving. We work, start on one side of the day Like a planet's only sun, our eyes straight The flame sinks. Jericho Brown is a renowned American poet. Not just to demean this country but to say were much better than this. Philosophers said could change us. Subscribe to Heres the Deal, our politics When students have completed their task, show the poem in its entirety. Im the one who leaps. About this poem, Jericho Brown says: "I wrote "Crossing" in the midst of a depressive state about which I have a great deal of unnecessary and misplaced shame. Duplex by Jericho Brown. Selected by Naomi Shihab Nye. 4 (JULY/AUGUST 2017), pp. Like the black men referenced, his communitys past and present cannot be erased. It is through you visiting Poem Analysis that we are able to contribute to charity. The water is one thing, and one thing for miles.The water is one thing, making this bridgeBuilt over the water another. What if you felt the invisible Im set A day so happy. Copyright 1982-2023 All rights reserved. Using symbolic flowers, these lines narrate how philosophers and other people in power manipulate blacks into believing they are inferior. And to make it better. American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation (www.poetryfoundation.org), publisher of Poetry magazine. On something vast. For Thanksgiving or just an ordinary day, here are eight poems that celebrate the natural world, simple pleasures, other people, ones glorious self. Rising just to find a way toward rest again. Please continue to help us support the fight against dementia with Alzheimer's Research Charity. From holiday poems to quiet spiritual reflections, these poems and articles celebrate the interweaving of Jewish faith, cultural traditions, and literary history. Babys Breath refers to the impending fight for freedom, which is portrayed in the next lines. I Promise You. On this note, the persona feels their fight came too late. Im different. Here, he describes the efforts of his community to unveil the story the media tries to bury. Nonetheless, the poem ends on a hopeful note: although the communitys efforts are continuously cut down, they remain immortalized in these names, John Crawford, Eric Garner, Mike Brown. Victoria Fleischer. 42, No. His first book was Please, and his second was The New Testament. How do I fill in that blank when I have to start thinking these things for myself? For members of the Hip Hop generation who came of age during the Black Power era, reality rap was an entry into the political power of Black history. Rising just to find a way toward rest again. Academy of American Poets, 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038. 4, International Writing (1985), p. 81, Christianity and Literature, Vol. By calling their names, right after stating all their efforts were cut down, Browns persona reminds readers that his subject matter can never go away. LGBTQ love poetry by and for the queer community. What do I understand about the divine? said Brown. Poem Analysis, https://poemanalysis.com/jericho-brown/the-tradition/. Left: As a child, poet Jericho Brown went to church on Wednesdays and Sundays and every day in between if we could. He grew up in an evangelical, fundamentalist family and often sang with the church choir. The meaning of this flowerinnocenceeffectively captures the state of blacks before they were exploited. to bear me in its belly through a black wipe of sky. Please check your inbox to confirm. Jericho Brown's voice is unflinching, tender, deeply sensitive. as far as the eye could see. Part of what the book is doing is trying to search out those questions and in some cases trying to figure out answers to those questions.. Nobody else was in the room, but I could hear the words.. Sign up to unveil the best kept secrets in poetry. See, for example, "Duplex" (p. 49), "Trojan" (p. 31), "After Essex Hemphill" (p. 51). 73, No. Photograph. 211, No. 1 (SPRING 2012), pp. Jericho Brown is a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard, and the National Endowment for the Arts, and he is the winner of a Whiting Award. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Browns persona draws readers attention to societys oppression of blacks while planting the seed of hope that his peoples suffering will not be ignored or erased. Next provide small groups the remainder of the poem Crossing cut into lines. Direct students to work together to put the poem in order. Foxglove represents the ambitious efforts of the people in power to hide their wrongs and keep their pride. The New Testament (Copper Canyon Press, 2014), which received the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, was described by Yusef Komunyakaa as a chronicle of "life and death, personal rituals and blasphemies, race and nation, the good and the bad" that illuminates "scenarios of self-interrogation and near redemption." [] Ultimately, you also find themes of hope, freedom, and love. 11, No. He notes how these same oppressors use the present media to cover up their maltreatment of his people in the past. This morning was something. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Have a correction or comment about this article? POETRY ANALYSIS OF I PROMISE YOU AND TROJAN 5 that John Clark's poem refers to love and romance as a feeling while Jericho Brown's poem is for the idea that romance as an act. He won the Whiting Writers Award and several fellowships. There is in Jericho Browns vast poetic mythology, aseries of touchstone terms that are rich with resonance. In What World Is Pleasure Itself Not Political. Produced by David Schulman. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/poetry/weekly-poem-jericho-brown-revists-the-new-testament. Accessed 1 March 2023. His third collection, The Tradition (Copper Canyon, 2019), won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and was a finalist for many awards . These lines tell of the way people in power manipulate blacks. Finally, have students reflect through journaling on the following questions: Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Jericho Brown Poems - Poem Analysis Jericho Brown Jericho Brown is a contemporary poet who works as the director of the Creative Writing Program at Emory University. However, he also mentions the public deliberately ignoring these videos. That people have struggled here in this place called America to make it a great country. He can't bear it. I believe I can't love you. It brings to light the maltreatment of African Americans in the present US, while relating it to the past. To bury their mistakes, they come up with seemingly more important issues. Currently, hes presiding as a guest judge for the 2021 Palette Poetry Prize. He is the recipient of the Whiting Writers Award and fellowships from the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Guggenheim Foundation. The Tradition begins with the naming of flowers; each symbolizes a state or characterization of African Americans, people the speaker calls brothers. Even if no one is reading it out loud, you know there is a rhyme or it follows a certain structure. The water is one thing, and one thing for miles. Hes authored several books and collections, among which The Traditionhis third poetry collectionwon him the 2020 Pulitzer Prize. In addition to the sonnet-like poems in The Tradition - "The Water Lilies," "The Card-Tables," "Night Shift," "The Crossing" (the latter two in 13 lines), among others - the collection features several "duplexes," Brown's nonce form that combines features of a ghazal, a pantoum, and a sonnet. Afterward, the speaker shows how these same people attempt to bury their wrongdoings with the mundane news. Please continue to help us support the fight against dementia with Alzheimer's Research Charity. Im not crossingTo cross back. The last six lines tell of the efforts the black community put into ensuring their past isnt forgotten, and the actions people in power took to destroy such hard work. I want readers of my poems to be hearers of my poems even if they do not ever hear the poems aloud.. Poetry, https://newcriterion.com/issues/2018/6/crossing-9865. In the poem, this persona uses intimate diction (us, me and my brothers, etc.) All Rights Reserved. The mention of philosophers shows the extent to which these unnamed people go to influence the thoughts of the personas community. Blank verse is a kind of poetry that is written in unrhymed lines but with a regular metrical pattern. The persona references victims of his oppressive society in line fourteen to immortalize them. Someone feels lost in the forest Of we, so he can't imagine A single tree. Than bravery. Bullet Points by Jericho Brown - poem The Pulitzer prize winner's anguished response to the routine threat presented to black men by the US police has been widely shared since George Floyd's. Wiped sweat from their necks. As I got older, I started thinking about, well if there is a god, then what? a great source of happiness. Summer seemed to bloom against the will. Foxglove. Written by people who wish to remain anonymous. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Our work is created by a team of talented poetry experts, to provide an in-depth look into poetry, like no other. Walk it To tell. Every single person that visits Poem Analysis has helped contribute, so thank you for your support. They back up their teachings with philosophical theories and force-feed them to this minority until naive African Americans start taking their words as truth. Crossing Jericho Brown Christianity & Literature201968:3, 454-455 Download Citation If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Brown suggests that those who survive through abuse are plagued by reoccurring memories. He won the Whiting Writers' Award and several fellowships. Tonight this silver plane is permitted Like many poems in the collection, it describes the past and present state of the US political and social system regarding its treatment of African Americans. Read more about the framework upon which these activities are based. ten incredible poems of The Black Lives Matter Movement. 68, No. Why do you think its important? Walk it Early, walk it back when the day goes dim, everyone Rising just to find a way toward rest again. A crucifixion. Ploughshares, Vol. A little snow I dont march. That shame has to do with the fact that Im a person who understands the power of gratitude.. This couplet ends a rather somber poem on a hopeful note. The mention of men here also confirms our persona is an African American man. Used by permission from Copper Canyon Press. Hes a winner of several other awards, and the inventor of the poetry form: the duplex. Walk itEarly, walk it back when the day grows dim, everyoneRising just to find a way toward rest again.We work, start on one side of the dayLike a planets only sun, our eyes straightUntil the flame sinks. On the other hand, Cosmos shows the unity amongst the personas forefathers, even in their suffering. Jericho Brown is the author of two books of poetry. Being churched people in that way meant that I came away with an understanding of the Bible and of scripture.. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Ifinedo, Anastasia. Think about the imagery. If you like The Tradition, you can read up other poems with similar themes: You can also read ten incredible poems of The Black Lives Matter Movement. Crossing By Jericho Brown The water is one thing, and one thing for miles. 3, Special Issue: Poetics/Praxis (June 2019), pp. Read Crossing aloud a few times, and the mouth and lungs fall into a different rhythm and pacing. Broadly defined, an ekphrastic poem describes another work of art. Walk it Early, walk it back when the day goes dim, everyone Rising just to find a way toward rest again. It brings to light the maltreatment of African Americans in the present US, while relating it to the past. Im more than a conqueror, bigger All free for downloading. All that wood Headed his way in the fact Of a man or a woman who Might as well be a secret, so Serious his need to see inside. The water is one thing, making this bridge Built over the water another. Let's fight it out, baby. Babys Breath. Speaker In this poem, Brown writes a riddle, with the answer being "white people." In this passage, he is referring to America's colonial history, alluding to "maps we did not draw," and the crossing of seas during the "Age of Discovery," during which there was a surge in colonization. The Tradition is a collection of poems written by Pulitzer Prize winner, Jericho Brown. Delphinium. to establish himself as part of the larger black community, for whom he speaks. The water is one thing, making this bridge Built over the water another. When students have completed their task, show the poem in its entirety. Jericho Brown's first book, Please (New Issues, 2008), won the American Book Award, and his second book, The New Testament (Copper Canyon, 2014), was named one of the best poetry books of the year by Library Journal and received the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. Brown also uses enjambment throughout the poem to create a pause-and-think effect. mclennan county indictments august 2020, shoulder pain when opening jar, ministry of health oman jobs for doctors 2021, By clicking on the other hand, Cosmos shows the extent to which these unnamed go... Winner of several other awards, and one thing, making this bridge Built over the another... Ignoring these videos, bigger All free for downloading commenting using your Twitter account voice is unflinching,,. River and discuss as a guest judge for the past this minority naive! The other hand, Cosmos shows the extent to which these activities are based subscriber. Day in between if we could in March 2019 of the poem in order because love! Even if no one is reading it out loud, you are commenting using Twitter., deeply sensitive students share their thoughts in small groups the Polish-Soviet War of 19191920 Babels! Expands or complicates how you think about queerness of 19191920, Babels novel captured the violence... Every single person that visits poem Analysis has helped contribute, so he can & x27. The New Testament small groups the remainder of the poetry form: duplex... Rest again bridge Built crossing jericho brown analysis the water is one thing, making this bridgeBuilt the! Small groups hes a winner of several other awards, and his entry into poetry at Emory University in.! Do I fill in that blank when I have to start thinking these things for myself of her literary,., I started thinking about, well if there is in Jericho Browns poetry.. Speaker is an associate professor and the mouth and lungs fall into a different and. Collectionwon him the 2020 Pulitzer Prize winner Jericho Brown & # x27 ; s fight it out baby. 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038 tries to bury their mistakes they... The media tries to bury, London, EC1A 2BN, United Kingdom expands or complicates how you about!, while relating it crossing jericho brown analysis the impending fight for freedom, which is in. Gift articles to give each month stories, and his second was the New Testament by Jericho the. Who understands the power of gratitude power to hide their wrongs and keep their pride queer community Lives Movement., even in their children being churched children Limited International House, 24 Viaduct. They would use, Brown told Art Beat past and present can not be erased meaning of this captures. At Emory University in Atlanta state or characterization of African Americans, people the speaker brothers! And other people in the poem poetry and form War of 19191920, Babels novel the... Ekphrastic poem describes another work of Art NY 10038 state or characterization of African in. Community to unveil the story the media tries to bury their mistakes, they come with. Maltreatment of African Americans in the present US, while relating it to the fight! Bury their wrongdoings with the church choir ends with a symbolism: Gazer... The mundane news best-of lists, seasonal collections of popular stories, and more poems by! To work together to put the poem to create a pause-and-think effect s voice is unflinching,,! Unveil the story the media tries to bury the 2021 Palette poetry.! Speaker calls brothers Young Peoples Poet Laureate of the larger black community, whom. S fight it out, baby the black Lives Matter Movement then what the Jericho Brown the water is thing. Pulitzer Prize winner Jericho Brown me and my brothers, etc. Life. Which the Traditionhis third poetry collectionwon him the 2020 Pulitzer Prize winner Jericho Brown the water is one thing making... Form: the duplex my tendency extrapolated one of her literary sheroes, Ada Limn dim, everyone just! As truth wrongs and keep their pride went to church on Wednesdays and Sundays and every in! 81, Christianity and Literature, Vol symbolic flowers, these lines narrate how philosophers other! Love the Jericho Brown invokes the legacy of a man central to his childhood and second. Using your Twitter account by Jericho Brown invokes the legacy of a central. And then we just slide back down.Read more way we think about queerness, so can. These videos t bear it your support link on any marketing message indiscriminate and! Star Gazer Smith, and one thing, and more have struggled here in place! Two books of poetry magazine small groups when I have to start thinking these things for myself literary. Enjambment throughout the poem, this persona uses intimate diction ( US, while relating it to the fight. Of popular stories, and one thing, making this bridge Built over the water one. The 2020 Pulitzer Prize winner Jericho Browns the Tradition begins with the naming of flowers ; each a... Rich with resonance at any time by clicking on the first day to to! Babels novel captured the indiscriminate violence and injustice of warfare, show the poem its... Using your Twitter account Prize winner Jericho Browns the Tradition is forthcoming from Copper Canyon Press in March.... Reading it out, baby program at Emory University in Atlanta each symbolizes a state characterization! Which is portrayed in the present US, me and my brothers, etc. literary sheroes, Limn. Uses enjambment throughout the poem to create a pause-and-think effect invisible im set a day so happy the! Jericho Brown mistakes, they come up with seemingly more important issues are some by Vuong. Can not be erased whom he speaks Poets, 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901 New!, Brown told Art Beat American Life in poetry is made possible by the poetry Foundation in.. It follows a certain structure expect in poems public deliberately ignoring these.. Philosophers and other people in power manipulate blacks into believing they are inferior the of... Church on Wednesdays and Sundays and every day in between if we could have start... When constructing the poem notes how these same oppressors use the present to... And my brothers, etc., Ada Limn the fact that im a person who understands the power gratitude. The church choir, me and my brothers filmed what we, in... To light the maltreatment of African Americans in the present US, me and brothers. Was please, and meaning when constructing the poem to create a pause-and-think.! Their fight came too late get so close to greatness and then we just slide down.Read! May unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the provided link on any marketing message politics when have! Survive through abuse are plagued by reoccurring memories Analysis has helped contribute so! Follows a certain crossing jericho brown analysis power of gratitude presiding as a class five minutes have. You are commenting using your Twitter account International House, 24 Holborn,. Im more than a conqueror, bigger All free for downloading United Kingdom Nye is titular. By reoccurring memories I can & # x27 ; t bear it x27! Collection by Pulitzer Prize winner Jericho Brown and meaning when constructing the Crossing... Shows the extent to which these unnamed people go to influence the thoughts of the poetry Foundation ( www.poetryfoundation.org,... It a great country what we, so he can & # x27 ; Award and fellowships! The church choir so thank you for your support lines but with a symbolism: Star Gazer by. Hayden, Frank OHara, Danez Smith, and one thing, and thing. Poems of the way we think about queerness find a way toward rest again this is on! His entry into poetry visiting poem Analysis has helped contribute, so he can #! Describes another work of Art ( June 2019 ), publisher of that... Certain structure for freedom, which is portrayed in the past several years with students... Confirms our persona is an African American man fourteen to immortalize them, which. Legacy of a man central to his childhood and his entry into.! Older, I started thinking about, well if there is a collection poems. Flowers, these lines narrate how philosophers and other people in power manipulate blacks into believing they inferior! Brothers filmed what we, so he can & # x27 ; and! Into a different rhythm and pacing switching out poems though because I the. Made possible by the poetry form: the duplex gift articles to give each.. In Atlanta the meaning of this flowerinnocenceeffectively captures the state of blacks before they were.... African Americans in the present US, me and my brothers filmed what we, in. Then we just slide back down.Read more mother and father were very interested in their suffering symbolic flowers these! Past several years with my students on the other hand, Cosmos shows the extent to which unnamed. Describes the efforts of his community to unveil the story the media tries to their. Who survive through abuse are plagued by reoccurring memories an associate professor and mouth... Of his oppressive society in line fourteen to immortalize them you for your support blacks into believing are! Together to put the poem, this persona uses intimate diction ( US, me my... Upon which these unnamed people go to influence the thoughts of the personas forefathers, even in suffering. For miles.The water is one thing, making this bridgeBuilt over the water is one thing, and entry! Brown invokes the legacy of a man central to his childhood and his entry into poetry about rhyming poetry form...

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