Category Archives: Poetry
One Month Later (A Freewrite on June 1, 2011)
I wanted to celebrate
when I heard the news
of the bullet that would free
the world from the grip of terror
I wanted to dance
jubilantly in the streets
when I learned
justice had been served
in the same cold blooded
fashion as hijacked airplanes
dropping towers to
ground zero
I wanted to slap high fives
in Internet Cafe’s
over tasteless jokes
while drinking Frappuccinos
and poking hot chicks on Facebook
when I heard his ashes
had been buried at sea;
officially ending any possibility
of Sharia law in the States
I wanted to believe
the end of this chapter
would magically make
the world a better place
and the trillions of dollars spent
was worth it
and the families torn apart
by war would breathe easier
knowing the
mission had been completed
I wanted to smile ear to ear
when I heard the news
but I couldn’t
because I knew our schools
were failing our children
and poverty was spreading
like a forest fire
and the homeless
were running out of bridges
to place their boxes under
and there aren’t enough
shopping carts for
all of the people who lost
their homes to carry
their personal belongings
I wanted to put on a white glove
and moonwalk to the other side of the tracks
before hitting the sweetest
1,080 degree spin since Billy Jean
but I couldn’t
because I knew in the morning
25 million people
would wake up jobless
while Wall Street goes on fancy retreats
with the interest from our over sized debt
and our depleted savings
I wanted to jump up and down
like a kid opening gifts
on Christmas
until I became exhausted from elation
but I couldn’t
because I know our soldiers will
return home to inadequate support
mentally and physically
unable to transition back
into the “normal life”
after living the nightmare of
being strapped and looking
over their shoulders
wondering if this would
be their day to become heroes
I wanted to shout
at the top of my lungs in Joy!!!
but I couldn’t
because I knew
some little girl
from the neighborhood
some little girl would be kidnapped
and turned into a sex slave
and trafficked right here
right here
in the land of the free
and there won’t be money for any soldiers
to search our American caves
err..
our American ghettos
to find our lost American Princesses
because we gave it all to Wall Street
and spent the rest on finding WMDs
umm, fighting terrorism
umm, searching through caves
for oil
umm, for Osama
in the Middle East
I want to sit back and grin
the biggest grin of all time
but I can’t
because I know tomorrow
will feel a lot like today..
Even though they did kill Osama
one month ago today..
Carpe Diem
Her smile emitted light
She was a lighthouse
Helping him navigate through the dark times
Her eyes,
Soothing
Reassuring him that it would be alright
Her voice,
A peaceful force
Calming his nervous soul
He struggled to ignore
The deception of his mind
His past
To move forward
He stood silently at a crossroad
Paralyzed by the potential danger
Looking for an affirmation
That she could be trusted
In his heart he knew
But had already been mislead too many times
In her name
Bravely
He took a step forward
and they embraced the unknown
With a passionate kiss
I Do
One Day
One day, my time will come
Maybe painfully
at the hands of pancreatic cancer
Slowly
through the mental debilitation of Alzheimer’s
Suddenly
by heart attack
Breathlessly
at the mercy of asthma
or maybe
It will be my kidneys that fail me
One day, my time will come
Possibly
at the hands of Kaiser
or Sutter
or UCD
or in the Emergency room of “Mercy”
Quickly looked over and misdiagnosed
or refused treatment
Due to a lack of insurance
Like “Colored People”
Turned away because of the color of their skin
One day, my time till come
Maybe
I’ll be murdered by “Justice”
Shot 41 times by the New York Police
While reaching for my wallet
or assassinated
By the Riverside Police
“Protecting and Serving” old racism
By firing bullets into my body
While I helplessly convulse
From a combination of a seizure and bullets
One day, my time will come
Maybe
I’ll be beat out of my misery
By the Bakersfield Police
While in the County jail on trivial charges
or shot
In the back by the Bay Area Rapid Transit Police
while pinned
cuffed
lying face down
Because even my black backside is a threat to society
One day, my time will come
Probably
at the hands of my own people
Murdered senselessly in the street
for my watch
for my car
for my wallet
Assassinated
for scuffing up their shoes
Shot in the back
while trying to shield my baby
From one of my cold blooded brothers
Keeping it real
One day, my time will come
and when it does
don’t mourn for me
don’t go into a depression
Thinking about the words you never said
or believing I went too early
or trivializing my life
By focusing the attention
On the injustice of how I left
Instead of the beauty of how I lived
One day, my time will come
and when it does
don’t let the sadness trap you
don’t let the surprise stop you in your tracks
don’t spend your days trying to memorialize me
or hiding my flaws
By trying recreate me in the perfect image
Of who you wanted me to be
I am perfectly imperfect
Humanly flawed
Scared of the pain of going
Not afraid to go
Worried about those I will leave
but hopeful,
they will focus
On loving and embracing “Life”
Understanding,
How we go is of little importance
Compared to how we “Live”
One day, my time will come
and when it does
don’t waste life
Dedicating your time to fighting “against”
All that’s wrong in the world
When you have the opportunity to fight “for”
All that’s right in the world
One day, my time will come
and when it does
Know I want you to live
Your life
moving
forward
Reaching for stars
Shining light
Being a guide to
Those who have lost their way
Living in the fullness of love
Giving yourself freely
Embracing
All that is
Instead of all that was
One day, my time will come
and when it does
I need you to know
What matters most is “Love”
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