Category Archives: Poetry
America, A Reality Check
We are not that America
We are not unified citizens working together for a better tomorrow
We are not compassionate human beings lifting one another as we climb
We are not unselfish politicians fulfilling our promise to work for the greater good of the people
We are not the Miracle of 34th Street
We are not the humble grace of “Thanksgiving”
We are not innocence until proven guilty
We are not equality and merit
We are not the intellectual contradictions who framed the constitution
We are not a Democracy for the people
We are not rational thinking civilians using guns to protect our freedom from imperialists
We are not dreamers boldly blazing new paths and forging better tomorrows
We are not one indivisible nation under God providing liberty and justice for all
We are not the home of the brave we sing about in our Star Spangled Banner
We are not the Manifest Destiny
We are not the revisionist Americans of our history books
We are not the peaceful European explorers who vanquished the savage indigenous animals
We are this America
We are glimpses of beauty
We are flashes of hope
We are hints of greatness
But mostly,
We are the lie of Columbus
We are the savages
We are the imperialists
We are the adulterers
We are the animals
We are the rapists
We are the murderers
We are the warmongers
We are the takers of dreams
We are the enslavers of children
We are the thugs that stole the land
We are the America that was founded on 2 parts violence and 1 part idea
We are the pepper spray facial on the 99%
We are the mindless stomp of Black Friday
We are the Stand Your Ground killers of innocence
We are the dogs attacking the marchers
We are the hoses washing away hope
We are the billy clubs beating King
We are the bullets in the back of tomorrow
We are the walking contradictions pledging allegiances to justice and liberty while committing crimes against justice and liberty
We are the America that hides behind the idea of America
In isolated communities gated away from our fear
Behind our antiquated principles
Behind our flag, religion, and the God we’ve made in our likeness
We are the America who sacrifices our children at the altar like lambs, that then sheds tears
While screaming at the top of our lungs “How did we get here!”
We are the America that fails to understand time and time again;
Getting Here, to this dreadful state of horror and fear, is the one thing we did as a collective
Getting Out of Here is the one thing that we must do together
Truthfully
I may not be an award winning poet
I’m okay with that
I may not be your number one entertainer
I can live with that
My words may not be academic enough for your approval
That’s not a concern to me
My writing may not fit into your formulaic style
Conforming never crossed my mind
My spoken word may not have flair and theatrics
Tell it to your Slam committee
You probably want me to write more erotica
In my mind, revolution is foreplay for freedom
That ain’t erotic enough for you?
You probably wish I would be less serious
Tell it to the 99%
Tell it to the mother struggling to provide for her kids
Tell it to the teenagers and their hoodies
Tell it to the voiceless political prisoners
Tell it to the homeless man on the streets
Tell it to the soldier struggling with PTSD
Tell it to the innocent victim of rape
Tell it to the girl who was kidnapped and trafficked
Tell it to the innocent people dying in a war they didn’t create
Tell it to the lost soul trying to find its way
Tell it to your God for placing empathy in my soul
and the gift of words in my mind
You probably think I should write more poems on love
Love is the foundation for every breath I take
You probably think I should write about God
Who do you think is guiding my soul?
You probably wonder how much longer will I keep it up
The answer, until God tells my soul that my work here is done
Until then
I’ll continue living the only way I know how,
TRUTHFULLY
What If
In life
we make assumptions
Assumptions like
this note won’t be the last note
I’ll ever write to you
Assumptions like
tomorrow will be more of the same
and there is nothing
that we absolutely must do today
Assumptions like
I can put my dreams
on hold for a lifetime
and still have a lifetime left
to chase my dreams
Assumptions like
we can go to bed pissed off
angry
and have time
to fix it all in the morning
Assumptions like
I can tell you
I can show you
I can do the things
I need to do
to express my love to you,
later
Assumptions like
this breath
this moment
this second
is not important
in the grand scheme of things
Assumptions like
this hello
this smile
this hug
won’t be the last smile we share
the last hug we give
the last time
we greet each other
Assumptions like
my hurtful words
won’t be the last things
I say to you
and it’s okay for me
to be upset for a minute
and everything will be okay
if you give me some space
and time
Assumptions like
love will wait
for me to get my degree
for me to buy a house
for me to become rich
for me to achieve my dreams
for me
but what if,
What if
our assumptions are all wrong
What if
tomorrow doesn’t exist
What if
we don’t have any more time left
no more minutes
will never get to say another word to each other
are unable to rectify a bad situation
What if
our future doesn’t exist
and there is no later
What if
we never share
another smile
another hello
another hug
What if
this breath is our last
this moment is our last
What if
this minute
is the most important
minute of our life
What if
there are no more mornings
or no makeup sex
or no more time to apologize
What if
your last memory of us
are the hurtful words I said to you
What if
we spend our lifetime
deferring our dreams
but never get that second
lifetime to chase them
What if
we get that degree
that big house
the riches we deserve
but we miss the opportunity
to be in love
What if
love doesn’t wait for me
for us
What if
I was not put here
to make money
or save the community
or lead the world
What if
the only thing
I was put here to do
is to love you
and you never found out
how important you are to me
What if
you never found out
how much I love you
What if
our assumptions about life
are all wrong
What if
we knew this was it,
Our last hurrah
Would we change the way we live?
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