The Poetic Political
Fumings of a Feisty Feminist
Making waves of change, one poem at a time.
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“I can’t breathe” George gasps and pleads His life begins to fade. The policeman kneels Upon his neck Refusing any aid. Nine minutes pass Nine minutes too long Because of 20 bucks. What’s a life worth Depends on your color ‘Cuz some don’t give two fucks. Photo by Josh Hild @ unsplash.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/05/30/video-timeline-george-floyd-death/?arc404=true
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If it weren’t for the videos
Would we know the truth How black people Are murdered daily In America At the hands of white men? How many deaths Have gone unknown Misled Hidden From the truth? How much have we missed Because there wasn’t a camera To record the beatings And their last breath? Yet some still refuse to see What is right before them Too frightened by the sight Of their own racist thoughts. Ignorance is bliss When hiding ones secrets In the shadows Of supposed superiority. Who knew that Ariel
Could be so adversarial? A mythological cartoon That some choose to impugn. “A mermaid can’t be black!” As they assert in their attack. Ignorance promenade Aghast of a black mermaid. Some "poor unfortunate souls" are rather upset that Disney chose to cast a a black R&B singer to play Ariel in their upcoming film. https://www.sltrib.com/news/nation-world/2019/07/09/arielis-mermaid-disney/ New Zealand’s darkest day
As 49 were murdered By ignorance and fear When hatred was asserted. Killed for their beliefs Lives ended way too soon. Our hearts are torn apart His actions we impugn. Helpless and frustrated That fascism is to blame. Dozens killed and slaughtered Solely as a game. “They are us” We are them If only we could learn. It’s not too late to change But for them there’s no return. https://www.npr.org/2019/03/18/704671790/new-zealand-pm-ardern-urges-her-nation-to-make-gunman-nameless The faithful are the ones
Who abolished civil rights The President confirmed it This really should suffice. From separating children And locking them in cages Ensuring inequality For women and their wages. For those who seek our help We’ll build a bigger wall And if you are a Muslim There’s no entering at all The Bible touts forgiveness And loving one another But also stoning children If they disrespect their mother I guess it all comes down To which verse they choose to cite To guide us and our principles As they abolish civil rights. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/02/07/trump-lauded-abolition-civil-rights-his-gaffe-did-not-go-unnoticed/?utm_term=.7c52cebb161e Contained within the pen
Is the future and the past The words declared Imagined in ink Ascribed to society There is a power Within the pen One’s thoughts Transformed into words. Define the sexes Define the races Define us. For centuries Men controlled the pen Prescribed our roles Restricted our bodies Restrained our minds. Understanding this We now know, She who controls the pen Controls the power. What will you write? Two videos caught my attention today. The first was a video from HONY in which a mystic discusses the “control of the pen”, and second was a clip of Pat Robertson discussing the need to dismiss Saudi murder concerns because we’ve got a 190 billion dollar military arms deal with them. It was another realization that this “pro-life” religious leader actually cares less about lives and more about money. It’s time we give everyone a pen—let us define our own lives, roles, bodies in the ink of identity. https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork/videos/2052973148110108/ https://crooksandliars.com/2018/10/pat-robertson-shrugs-saudi-murder-cites When the president
Calls us an “SOB” And we pray that people will finally see, How we fight for our right To equality. Because racism has stolen our liberty. The silence heard ‘Round the country. A peaceful protest In the land of the free. We see what it means to be a democracy. As I stand before you And #Takeaknee. When the fight for justice Is ridiculed and dismissed, I kneel. When voices are silenced over shouts of violence, I kneel. When we fail to support ALL of our citizens, I kneel. When we falter At the feet of liberty, I kneel. When our rights are restricted, I kneel. As ignorance and bigotry lead our country, I kneel. When suspicious fear suffocates compassion, I kneel. When corporations buy our politicians, I kneel. When the age of unreason Resonates across the land, I kneel. When we become blind To the struggles of others, I kneel. When respect and diplomacy Are neglected, I kneel. When a symbol becomes more important than its people, I kneel. This poem was written after watching this video of Rep Sheila Jackson Lee. http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/352392-black-lawmaker-kneels-on-house-floor-in-solidarity-with-athletes
Opportunity rots in the soil of oppression.
Equality erodes from angry animosity. Justice deteriorates on the scales of ineptitude. Freedom is buried under the ashes of superiority. Liberty atrophies in the depths of despair. The decay of democracy deteriorates solidarity. I mourn for democracy that has been wrought with presidential lies.
I mourn for my country that was once led with truth, justice, and reason. I mourn for my children who will grow up in the land of the caged and afraid. I mourn for my fellow countrymen, as we become torn apart by hatred and bigotry. I mourn as the “American Dream” has become a nightmare for too many. Tonight I mourn. Tomorrow, I fight. With stricter punishments they dread education. Then we skip their names on job applications. Faced with hunger they run out of time, Left with no choice except a life of crime. Tossed in jail with no other options, Casualties of our own corruption. “Black Lives Matter!” we hear their voices. In a world that has given them so few choices. Our biases create their sad demise, And as far as I can truly surmise, Being white does have its special benefits When skin color becomes our main emphasis Please listen up and change our ways So as not to repeat our yesterdays. Upon reading the book "Just Mercy" by Brian Stevenson, he makes the claim that one in three male African American boys born in 2001 will be incarcerated during some time in their life. This statistic has been questioned, but it is still alarming even if it is 1 in 4, or 1 in 5. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/06/16/the-stale-statistic-that-one-in-three-black-males-has-a-chance-of-ending-up-in-jail/?utm_term=.864959a7f949
Research shows black children are punished more harshly for the same issues at school: http://getschooled.blog.myajc.com/2014/12/27/research-shows-black-students-punished-more-severely-why-dont-schools-believe-it-and-fix-it/ Research shows black named job applicants get fewer call backs than their white named counterparts: http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2015/mar/15/jalen-ross/black-name-resume-50-percent-less-likely-get-respo/ |
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Poetry by: AsherahAlthough she was selectively edited out of the Bible two thousand years ago, she raises her voice for women today in hopes of a better tomorrow, as she makes waves of change, one poem at a time. Archives
May 2020
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