Leslé Honoré

2021

i wish you love
kindness
understanding
i wish you abundance
that you will always have
more than enough
more than you need
so you can be generous
of heart and spirit

i wish you peace
the kind that washes over your entire being
like cool waves
on warm shores
peace
knowing that the distance
is intentional
the endings
for a purpose
i wish you the peace
that comes
from honoring yourself

i wish you acceptance
of your past
your failures
your successes
your body, mind and soul

i wish you family that endures
friendships as close as genes
i wish you a village
linked and strong

i wish you a voice
that speaks
even when it shakes
that announces dream
even if it has to whisper

i wish you the magic
of manifestations
of ancestors wrapping you in light
of the god in you
ordering your steps
carving out destiny

i wish you healin
of old wounds
old loves
old habits
cycles broken

i wish you music
art
poetry
dance
i wish you language for your soul

i wish you power
that empowers the powerless
i wish you boldness
fearlessness
i wish you empathy

i wish you
epiphanies
enlightenment
ascension
i wish you
joyful new beginnings
fresh new chapters
strength to start over

i wish you
a happy new year

*now look in the mirror
and read this to your beautiful self
speak life to yourself
love yourself
you are worthy*

BROWN GIRL, BROWN GIRL

by Leslé Honoré
(copyright 2017, 2020)

Brown girl Brown girl
what do you see?
i see a Vice President
that looks like me

Brown girl Brown girl
what do you do?
i fought i hoped
i spoke what was true

Brown girl Brown girl
what do you know?
that there are strong women
who want me to grow

Brown girl Brown girl
what do you feel?
that #BlackGirlMagic
will help us all heal

Brown girl Brown girl
what do you see?
a world that sees my skin
before it sees me

Brown girl Brown girl
whatcha gonna do?
march, fight and create
till i make this world new

Brown girl Brown girl
how are you so strong?
'cause i got Queens in my blood
to help push me along

invisible

when 64,000 Black girls go missing
the world barely pauses
when Black girls are murdered
in their beds
the world doesn’t give birth to justice
when Black girls vanish
they get no lifetime movies
but a lifetime of silence
they don’t have the words
loud enough
they can’t breathe
they scream to the already traumatized
we ignore
forget
and they lace their chucks
put on their hats
don a warriors’ armor
much to big for their bodies
reach into an ancestral well of bravery
and they fight for us
themselves
their youth and bodies
on the front lines
staring into the face of evil
and we reward them with
safe spaces bereft of arms to hold
hands that can’t wipe away tears
deaf hearts that don’t listen
we tell them to
fight back
stand up
don’t fold
don’t break
don’t be weak
our girls don’t get a defense
don’t get protection
they need us to stand in the gaps
need us to slay the dragons
before the dancing corpses
of our own murdered childhoods
our own silenced dreams
our own innocence ripped away
swallow them whole
this curse
of our own making
blood on our own hands
dismissed Black girls
become
disregarded Black women
unprotected
disrespected
if
“it is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men”
then
it is easier to protect Black girls than to bury Black women

*quote by Frederick Douglas*

SUPER SPREADER

he’s a super spreader
of everything he denies exists
everything he mocks
everything he lies about
a super spreader of a pandemic
of racism
of white supremacy
of hate
of xenophobia
of misogyny

he is the infection
mutated
deadly
disgusting
he is the disease
the cause
the parasite
feeding off of greater women and men
growing fat on our sacrifice

he and his base are lice
attaching
attacking
infesting
consuming the m.a.g.a. hosts he feeds on
that he sheds when he has drained them
that he sheds when he deports them
that he sheds when he kills them
leaving them exposed to a pandemic
snatching healthcare
from their undeserving hands
because they voted him in
reap what they have sown
as infection and depravity
spread across this land
like wildfires
that he doesn’t try to contain

the heat of hate
is like oxygen to this grand wizard
this pied piper of proud boys
this dog whistler to the
deplorable animals he won’t denounce

how do you denounce yourself?
you can’t
he won’t
it would be like denouncing the mother
who suckled him at a hate-filled breast
they birthed him
they his family
they his army
a super spreading pandemic platoon
no mask
no humanity
unworthy
of our thoughts and prayers

their gods wouldn’t listen to our Brown breaths
they only want our Black and Brown deaths

gonna wash that blood right outta my hair

lather rinse repeat
killer pigs walk free
lather rinse repeat
white murderers go free
lather rinse repeat
bullets in walls get charges
but not bullets in me
lather rinse repeat
america ain’t never loved
we
lather rinse repeat
sleep in our beds or
swinging in trees
lather rinse repeat
our deaths must taste sweet
lather rinse repeat
no shame no guilt no heat
lather rinse repeat
like shampoo labels
like cheat codes
like directions even an
illiterate pig can read
murder
no charges
walk free
lather
rinse
repeat

notorious (R.B.G.)

rest now you giant
you warrior
you brilliant brave soul
you who gave us courage
and hope
rest now

more than a trail blazer
you didn’t make history
you changed it
reshaped it
course-corrected
you who gave us all of you
fought for us with all of you
with every moment god gave you
with every breath
rest now
it’s our turn
to take up your mantle
to not lose sight
to push on

you taught us how to fight
you made us more than soldiers
you leave an army in your wake
you taught us what legacy is
to give more than we take
rest now
you champion
you queen
you glorious
forever #RBG
forever our hero
notorious

SNAKE OF THE SENATE

you turkey-necked
coward’s heart
foul-mouthed
geriatric mutant racist turtle
liar in a half shell
you groveling
word-twisting
mockery of government
you snake of the senate
riding the coattails
of better men
and phenomenal women

you stole your wealth
siphoned it from
your chinese wife’s immigrant family
and yet you fight against immigration
you epitome of american perversion
you forked-tongue demon
you devil
you dare speak her name
her body still warm
her memory a fire of revolution
you troglodyte
you pus-filled boil on america’s ass
you can’t spell justice
you can’t spell freedom
you can’t fathom sacrifice
you will never be remembered as great
as hero
as brilliant
you walking, breathing pile of bile and vomit
you who don’t even speak your own name
it’s not mitch
it’s addison
and now the root workers know
where to send the curse

you will always cower in her shadow
unfit to touch the heel of her shoe
you hypocrite
you hypocrite
you hypocrite

Let me sing a song of america

how consistent you are
in your horror
in your grotesque
in your denial
how you tuck Brown and Black bodies
in the folds of your hate
erase our faces
our humanity
our lives
leaving behind trails of trauma
a millennia of oppression
tears
that have filled oceans
salty
pain
covering the earth
white hands reaching inside our bodies
ripping out our wombs
ripping away our children
tossing them in cages
animals to gawk at
and forget
to disappear
into the whiteness
like a fog
surrounding you
draining you
killing you
waving stars and stripes
over the mass graves
this american earth
is a cemetery
Brown and Black bodies
tossed into its depth
no headstones to mark the death
we the fertilizer from which
american greatness grows
white men
in white coats
with steel knives
mumbling
how we don’t need anesthesia
how we don’t need to reproduce
sterilization
to control us
limit us
punish us
we are here to satisfy
lust and curiosity
quickly the world is bored of our agony
the silent suffering is preferred
the outrage disappears
the newborn allies
take off their shirts
put down their signs
and we women
we Brown women
cannot take off our skin

what more do you want america?

you take our bodies
our babies
our lives
are you looking for the soul of us?

that does not bleed
the soul of us
that will not yield
the soul of us
that you can never touch
the soul of us
that flies to the heavens
on Black and orange butterfly wings
here your evil cannot reach

$12 million

our daughters’ lives are worth more
than $12 million
it would bankrupt the earth
to pay the sum
of one life
and that would still
never be enough
we want more than money
to silence our screams
to make us feel assuaged
to make us forget
that our Black lives don’t matter
that even asleep in our homes
in our rooms
in our beds
after being on the front lines
after being essential
our Black skin is still
sacrificial

they can write all the checks
pay in bitcoin
in judas silver
or gold brick -
that isn’t the action we want to see

my heart sings in vigilante
in old testament justice
in bloody hands
and death reparations
but I will settle
for this:
drag the murderous pigs
out of their trailers

ARREST THE COPS THAT KILLED
BREONNA TAYLOR

A Labor Day poem

i honor the souls
at the bottom of the sea
i honor the laborers shackled
and never set free
i honor the blood and the tears
that swung from trees
the raped and brutalized roots
that came before me
i honor the darkness
that swallowed some whole
that forged strength and resilience
no matter the toil

i honor the native tongues
ripped away and forbidden
the beliefs and spirit replaced with
white saints unbidden
i honor the indigenous
wiped from the earth
from blood-soaked soil
it labored and gave birth
to a mutated america
with greed and perversion
echoing in its mirth

i honor the migrant
with hands willing and able
that amidst immigration slurs
serve you from garden to table

i honor the underpaid
the overworked
the undervalued

i honor the unions
feet to cement
picket line strong
fight for a living wage
e pluribus unum

Rosalba

written for my mother on her birthday

i am not my mother
she is patient and humble and still
she is ladylike and gracious
tolerant and kind
she has endured decades of disrespect
from people who should be before her
knee bent in gratitude
with full knowledge of their hate and anger
she continues to open the doors
of her home and heart
i am not my mother

she has stood in the face of adversity
more times than i probably truly understand
and she leans and sways with the wind
but she does not break
to say she takes life's punches
and keeps swinging
is an understatement
life has pummeled her
harder than any tyson hook
and still she stands
and doesn't even drop
an f-bomb
in english
or
spanish
i am not my mother

she knows what it's like to cross borders
to be lost in language
to live in a land alone
to make family out of thin air
to make hope feed hunger
to let faith supply
and to not let bitterness take root
when rejection rains down
i am not my mother

she is a tiny 5’4”
waist comparable to Scarlett O’Hara
the most beautiful woman I've ever known
at least i have her cheek bones
because i am not my mother

she is not perfection
but like kintsukuroi
the cracks in her porcelain
have been filled and repaired with gold
even her brokenness is stunning

she is love
sacrifice
dignity

i am not my mother
but i am trying to be

Forever 

how do we say thank you
for the kings and queens you created
the superheroes you inspired?
the little Black children who will dream
bigger
because of you
your representation
your power
your beautiful Black skin
and now we know
how strong you really were
stronger than marvel
stronger than vibranium
you creating for us
for your legacy
while fighting for your life

how do we say thank you
for
James
Jackie
Thurgood
Norman
for showing us
ourselves -
past
present
future?

you will be with us
brilliant and Black
forever 

beautiful and bold
forever 

our T’Challa
forever
Wakanda forever
Chadwick forever
rest in power
forever
our king 

AMERICA COME GET YOUR CHILDREN

america come get your children
the ones you are so proud of
the ones wearing stars and stripes
buying guns like candy
the ones dripping with
white privilege
that you created with
Red blood from Brown skin

america come get your children
come get your kids
the ones flying flags of defeat
of history long dead
of a life they wish they had
of superiority they believe they have
the lies you whispered in their ears
as you rocked them to sleep
“look away, look away, look away dixieland”

america come get your children
the ones terrorizing this country
the ones terrorizing the world
the ones never called a terrorist
come get
your rapist
your misogynist
your appropriating
hating
bigoted
offspring

you know...
the apples that didn’t fall far from the tree

america come get your children
the ones running the country
the ones too cowardly to speak up
the ones that shoot into protests
churches
light torches
run cars into peace
come get your diseased infants
entitled children in men’s bodies
jealous girls screaming in women’s voices
come get this disgusting basket of
deplorables
that you nurtured on
manifest destiny
the pale pink faces
in utter disbelief
that even though you put your knee
on every Brown and Black neck you saw
we have fought back and risen
casting shadows on your children
and they rage when they learn
that being a white mediocre man
is no longer enough
america come get your children
before they burn this stolen land down
and you with it

LYNCHINGS

lynchings were often in public 
smiling white faces 
terror in Black eyes 
they would makes sure families were present 
to see their loved ones 
hung and die 
sometimes they would 
cut and gut 
watch babies fall from wombs 
sometimes they would 
castrate 
stuff mouths 
set on fire 
but ALWAYS 
they would force the children to watch 
a warning 
a trauma 
a terrorist act 
this is what we will do to you 
carry this fear in your soul 
in your heart 
in your very cells 
this is what we can do to you 
and walk away free 
so it’s no surprise 
that before his children’s eyes
Jacob Blake was lynched
bullets - not a noose
arms distance
from sons in the backseat
a blue hand
on a white shirt
a blue hand
on a trigger
7 bullets in a Black man’s back 

Black Lives Matter
blue lives kill 
tale as old as time
murderers with hoods or badges
know the drill 
make sure the family 
is near
so they can smell the burning flesh 
so they can smell the gun powder
so they can see the blood spill 
taste of copper in their mouths 
make sure the children are watching 
see the fear explode in their father’s eyes 
make sure that they know 
this is what we can do to you 
and walk away free 
this is what we will do to you 
with bullets or a knee

WOLVERINE

my sister once called me a fraud
in the most passive aggressive way possible
a facebook post
it hurt
i was angry that it hurt
i looked at myself and it occurred to me that she was right
i was living a lie
not in the way she Intended to imply
but in the sense that for as long as I could recall
i would bend myself into complicated shapes
inside out
take on any persona
to be loved
to be accepted
by the people in my life
whether they were friends
husbands
lovers
or even sisters
the me -
the essence of me -
my joy
my light
my talent
my crazy
my weirdo
my happy
my authentic
my creative
my real
my muchiness
was not only pushed down
it was buried
in a dark dank corner
had been there for decades I think
until
i unleashed myself on myself
not slowly
all at once
bandaid ripped off
jumped into the lake minnetonka of my soul
i was purified
by Prince
by the word fuck
by my pen
by her post

fuck her opinion
fuck the person I'd let myself become
i am no longer waiting for the perfect circumstances any longer
to love myself
to love others
to explore
to learn
to leap and not be afraid of falling

don't you be either

you know what's great?
sometimes you love people,
and you are vulnerable to them.
they know what you are ashamed of.
what you fear.
sometimes they use the bones that you have buried,
to poke holes in your spirit.
thinking that you would sink.
deflate
fall apart
and then they would feel better about themselves by bringing you down
but you know what ?
sometimes those holes only let out your light
i’ve been poked so many times by the tiny swords held by the hands of people that i loved
that when you turn off the lights
when life is the bleakest
I SHINE LIKE A DIAMOND-FILLED HEAVEN
like stars from horizon to horizon
and my light leads me to freedom
a beacon to other weirdos
reminding them to stop patching the holes
others have punched in them
let their light shine too
sometimes the universe is crazy like that:
the very things that were meant to break you
are like Adamantium on your bones

i don't break anymore
bitch i am wolverine

harvest

i didn’t plant these seeds alone
but alone I tended to the soil
moved my saplings into the sun
fought the weeds
watered their roots
fertilized
spoke life
pruned
covered them when the frost came
wrapped my arms around them
when the winds blew too strong
now my trees are growing tall
i have an orchard
bearing fruit
i sit in the shade they provide
inhale the air
sweet and fresh
and wave
at passers by
who would love to lay claim
walk in this garden
they can stand at the gates
admire from afar
but you cannot reap
what you did not sow
this is my life’s harvest
my legacy
my loves
and i will relish every moment
as i watch them reach towards the sky

november is coming

are you afraid
you troglodyte
you abomination
you liar
you bigot
you xenophobe
you thief
you horror
you rapist
you scum
you walking talking scrape of toe cheese?
are you afraid
that light
is coming
that truth is coming
that logic
and science
and compassion
are not dead?
are you afraid
that a bunker will not keep you safe
that your hate will not keep you safe
that your ever shifting cabinet
will not keep you safe?
are you shaking in your spray tan
trembling in the tent of a suit you wear
does your tiny brain explode
when you think
of anything
but especially
of november?
you can’t hide the bodies
even though you hide the data
you can’t silence the revolution
even though you snatch us off the streets
you can’t stop the election
with your lies
with slowing the mail
with tweets
november is coming

FOR CHICAGO

your tiny hands
can't reach the
broad shoulders
that bear the burdens
of this city
your tiny mind
Can’t comprehend
the magnitude
of the heartache
in this city
policing is nothing but
a blue uniformed
bandaid
the hemorrhaging blood
flowing in the streets
a parallel river of pain
that can't be dyed green
is a symptom
not the problem
this city is SICK
it has a cancer
a tumor triggered by
redlining
segregation
food deserts
school closures
poverty
hopelessness
Pain of being invisible
to city hall’s sympathy
if you are Brown and Black
if you live too far south of
madison
if you are Brown and Black
if you live too far west of
state
if you are Brown and Black
if you are Brown and Black
if you are Brown and Black
your life is filled with
inequity and lack

your orange dust-colored soul
doesn’t love this city
you don’t know the joy
of a 60-degree day
in the middle of January
the rapture of a summer Sunday
on the lake
the rhythm of a drum beat
on the red line
symphonies under the stars
street vendors
socks to tamales
fruit chews and bean pies
a maxwell street polish
and a man who wants to save your soul
can all be found on the streets of the ‘go
all of this and more
is what your toupee-topped mind
doesn’t know
stay the hell out my city
our many imperfections
aren’t in need of militarization
the FEDS
aren’t the
MEDS
we need
we already have enough
murder in the name of protection
we don’t need any more shots
16 are more than enough
we have our own fleet
on the streets
soldiers fighting for more than glory
fighting for
our city
our streets
our lives

your hands are too small
your arms are too short
to box with these chicago gods

keep your tiny hands away from my city
keep chicago's name out of your mouth

OLD KANYE

society standards for being sane
are unachievable
especially for Black and Brown people
the expectation is that our magic
is supposed to suppress
stress
depression
anger
loss
grief
we are not supposed to feel
we are supposed to endure
entertain
enlighten
evoke
we are only to be enjoyed
don't break
don't hurt
don't look into the abyss
and fall in head first
don't scream out loud
when you keep falling
but never seem to touch the ground
don't be real
don't do it on a stage
don't do it on camera
and if we become manic
if the world sees that money
and fame
are no protection for
the breaking
we are given a platform
we are amplified
tickets are sold
to see us spiral

i've lost myself to darkness before
sometimes i still stand with my toes
draping over the cliff of bottomless pain
i know what crazy tastes like
its bitter coats your tongue
aftertaste like aspartame
lingering toxicity
i know what the weight of depression
feels like
hitting your soul
like meteors hit earth
leaving craters behind
fighting to return to light
is beyond hard
it is real
it is not all in our heads
thank GOD my break didn't happen with
a mic in my hand

i'm sure Kanye misses the old Kanye too

CHICAGO’S FINEST

In this city
chicago’s finest
protect the legacy
of a rapist
of a murder
a colonizer
the precipitous for genocide
a pedophile
evil
in this city
our tax dollars descend
on the voices of the revolution
with batons swinging
i guess we should be grateful
that only fists flew from uniformed hands
billy clubs and not bullets
teeth knocked out
and not life kneeled out
chicago’s gang
riot gear-clad
in the hundreds
present to incite violence
where they were gathered
in the name of change
of justice
of righteousness

does chicago really want to be
the city that protects a statue
more than its people?
is this our legacy
to wear Columbus
proudly?
and they chant
and we chant
and it echoes
WHO DO YOU SERVE?
WHO DO YOU PROTECT?

ARREST BREONNA’S KILLERS

“Aruba, Jamaica
you kill and then you vacay
to Bermuda, Bahama
after killing daughters and mamas
Key Largo, Montego
free killers get to go
down to Kokomo
you’ll get there fast
because justice is slow
instead of jail, killer cops get to go
way down to Kokomo”

you kill us and go on vacation
relax on tax dollars
wash your bloody hands
in the sea
sunbathe
tan
in a perverse attempt
to get your white skin
closer to the magic and melanin
you murder
you hate
you fill us with bullets
and then fill your belly with margaritas
you steal our loves
obliterate our hopes
our futures
our families
our legacy
while we mourn
march
fight for justice
you wrap your arms lazily
happily
joyfully
around bikini-clad privilege
you breathe
while we bury
you thrive
while we fill cemeteries

i hope the sea swallows you
my ancestors on the ocean floor
would love to to see your face
for all eternity

JILL SCOTT LADIES

this is for the Jill Scott ladies
who have been told
that our bodies aren’t wanted
so many times
and in so many ways
that we almost believed it
believed that beloved
was reserved
for a size 4
that 14 was meant to hide
under dresses like tents
or a
mrs. roper floral
this is for the Jill Scott ladies
who were transformed
when she sang to us
reminding us of
the power of our
rolling hills
“juicy mango, summer peach
make a lame man walk
and a full man hungry”
this is for the Jill Scott ladies
soft like a cloud
soft like heaven’s kiss
soft like a dream you can hold
small of our backs curving into
the source of a Kardashian’s envy
“catching a thrust
giving it right back to you
quick slip hip dip”
like an ocean wave on your shore
pulling you in for more
plastic doesn’t move like the tide
smiles like sunshine
life-giving bodies
restoring your faith
when we walk by
goddesses
you want to kneel before us
in prayer
in thanksgiving
in service
who would peter paul rubens
be without our inspiration
this is for the Jill Scott ladies
hypnotic
a hip sway
rhythmic
the rise and fall of our breast
with each breath
like a metronome
for your soul
little boys ask
how can anyone be attracted
to us
grown men and women reply
how can you not?
“our love is
deeper tighter sweeter higher flyer
didn’t you know this?”
how could you not notice?
this is for the Jill Scott women
walking in glory
walking in splendor
leaving trails of desire in our footprints

another violent weekend

“unfortunately it was
another violent weekend
in Chicago”

that’s what the news said
that’s what the reporter read
that’s what the screaming sirens sang
unfortunately it was another weekend
full of the legacy of white supremacy
another weekend
of Black and Brown people
living with trauma and oppression
living with strangled resources
living with limited housing
living in food deserts that were already
barren
and now are boarded up
living in over policed communities
living with targets on their back
living with the generational legacy
of their nation
hating them
living with streets that aren’t walkable
resources unreachable
housing unlivable
hope minuscule and unteachable
what we have been taught
is to fight for crumbs
to understand that behind every
barrier we conquer
will be another one waiting
even larger
that guns and drugs will be flooded
into our streets
with our governments hands
releasing the damns
we are addicts left for dead
ground under the drug war wheel
whites have opioid illnesses
get resources to heal
legislation that protects
we get knees on our necks
white jobs called essential
our jobs and lives
sacrificial
we scream
in exhaustion
in pain
in grief
in loss
we bury our babies
our lovers
our family
our friends
and the world hears nothing
the cacophony falls on
numb, privileged deaf ears
it doesn’t matter how we die
just that we are dead

another deadly weekend
another weekend of systemic symptoms
america has a murderous cancer
killing white supremacy is the answer

109 days (still no justice for BREONNA)

it’s been 109 days
since our daughter was murdered
in her home
in her room
asleep
thinking she was safe
her love
trying to protect her
as the blue klux klan
rammed her door open
rained bullets
rained hate
rained death
then the plague
then more murder
then the uprising
then the fires
then the grieving
and now
the forgetting
the fading into
the oblivion of dead Black bodies
filling america’s appetite
for Black blood
maybe because
we have no video
no last words
of Breonna asking to breathe
like
George Floyd
Eric Garner
Elijah McClain
or because
she was a woman
or because
she was Black
which is the perfect combination
for disrespect
disregard
hate
109 days
and her murderers walk free
breathe
hug their families
watch the sunrise
sleep with no fear
because blue lives kill
blue lives are protected
blue lives matter
and a Black woman
is
a dead body to roll over
a disappearing hashtag
a silent scream for justice

ain’t that nice

ain’t that nice
y’all gonna stop voicing Black
characters now
step away after you’ve pocketed
the money now
y’all gonna capitalize Black now
change your twitter handle now
rename your band now
y’all gonna put up signs
in your windows now
y’all gonna Black out your
webpage
y’all gonna
give us a day off now
celebrate Juneteenth now
y’all gonna
act like we just came out of the closet
like we’ve been hiding
instead of
dying
at your hands
y’all gonna name laws after our
dead daughter
and still don’t arrest her killers
y’all gonna fire a pig
but not slaughter the system
y’all gonna solidarity message
intern-written letters
signed by presidents
your c suite
a garden of lilies
your board
a snow-covered table

you can change a pancake label
call uncle ben a sin
give us all the
“i’m here for you” calls
while expecting your Black friends
to be your equity mammies
to do the labor of your education
suckle at a Black breast
to make your white tears
palatable
but we aren’t supposed to ask
for liberation
we don’t want your
minimum pacification
we want it all
we don’t want equality
we want equity
we want reparations
we want restitutions
we want the resources long denied
we want reclaimed time
we want our sons and daughters
back from the dead
we want all the antebellum statues
toppled on their heads
we want streets renamed
Black communities reclaimed
we want biblical truths to be more than lore
we are gods
and vengeance is mine
saith the lord

A song for Elijah

this world isn’t made for different
for different and kind
for the loving heart
for a gentle mind
this world isn’t made for the quiet
the violin strings
for the peaceful souls
that are a revolution
by their birth
by their breath
immeasurable worth
the world doesn’t open it’s arms
for these spirits that walk
with soft step
and soft heart
and radiant smile
no, the world closes its doors
to these pure
these “in spite of hate” souls
these ancestor-filled
these angels trodding on earth’s hell
this world rejects ignores abandons
these lives
but if they are Black
if they are all of this
and
Black
if they are all of this
all of this beauty
and different
and quiet
serenading kittens in shelters
if they have managed to stay
this close to god
to the divinity in their lineage
the magic in their blood
the strength of their Blackness
if they are all of this
and Black
the world doesn’t ignore
it murders
it squeezes the life out of
it choke holds the joy
the promise
the mother’s baby
the music that danced out of
skin
Black like the gold of the sun
if they are all of this and Black
blue hands point
blue hands accuse
blue hands lie
blue hands body slam
drag to the ground
blue hands kill
don’t even need a gun
to murder
to erase
blue hands
so good at getting bloody red

this world isn’t made for the
beautiful
especially if
you are Black
and your name is
Elijah

BECAUSE YOU KEEP KILLING ME

i don't remember the first time
my children
saw
me killed
but it wasn't last night
or last week
it's been a infinite loop of
having my blood splattered
on my children
like mothers before me
and after me
since booted white feet first
stepped on my shores
they've been killing me
for hundreds of years
in front of my babies
i've been
slaughtered
while protecting them
from the protectors
knife in hand
baby in womb
threats that were real
that made threats
echo in my mind
threaten my sanity
not every mother escapes
abuse
with her mind intact
protecting them i called out
for protection
and the knight riders dressed in blue
turned my home
into a cemetery
for my body
and the innocence
of my children
all of us dead
Mamie Till me
Valerie Castile me
open casket
anger kindling
speak my name
and those that came
before me
and after me
the mothers
the slaughtered
the blood on peace officer's hands
long before Korryn Gains
long before Charleena Lyles
they've been killing me
qhile my babies watched
the same mouth that called for my death
will ask "why are Black women so angry?"

because you keep killing me

WHITE HOUSE BLACKOUT

the lights are out at the white house
made with enslaved hands
the lights are out at the white house
pillar of stolen land
the lights are out at the white house
because we have been at war
battlefields soaked with our blood
enemy from within our shores
the lights are out at the white house
a thousand points of oppression
millions scream “we can’t breathe”
white supremacy the constant lesson
the lights are out at the white house
we elected a bigoted whore
while hope crumbles
the coward hid in bunker floors
the lights are out at the white house
democracy in darkness
every time we filled it
with righteousness
it was met with rage
when it was most brilliant
when its legacy was change
america answered with a
fascist clown
so the lights are out at the white house now
justice is in a perpetual sleep
fists reach toward the sky in defiance
power is the rhythm of the protesters’
marching feet
the lights are out at the white house now
like the church isn’t pews or steeples
america isn’t the white house -
it is an uprising people

PIVOT

to all my fellow advocates, activists & artists
who have been deep in the trenches
long before this week
who have been fighting for equity
for communities
for power for the silenced
who have been collaborating and hoping
creating and connecting
who do this for a living
in our 9 to 5
in our 5 to 10
monday thru friday
saturday and sunday
then pivoted when covid hit
we scrambled to adjust and redirect
then pivoted when covid hit
our communities hardest
then pivoted when covid hit
our family and friends
and then #BreonnaTaylor 
and then #AhmaudArbery
and then we watched #GeorgeFloyd
murdered
heard him call for his mama
and then the world erupted
and we pivoted again
the city protected
downtown
raised the bridges
we tried to protect
the rest
turned our bodies
into bridges
we pivoted to feed each other
then some of our Brown family
attacked our Black family
we pivoted again
we nimble
flowing like water
dancing on lava
we paused
for an invisible second
because we are gutted
traumatized
generationally
we have been carrying our children
on our backs
our lovers in our hearts
our people in our souls
knowing that rest is not an option
then our friends died
the grief seems infinite
there is no pivot for this
we mourn
we push on
mumbling to ourselves
we have trained for this
sleep is a memory
soldiers march on
and pivot
and fight
and pivot
and fight
and pivot

i see us
exhausted
determined
whispering
self-care is fighting for
the communities we love
the nation we love
that hates our skin
and kills our children
so we pivot
adjust
regroup
use concealer like war paint
in the silence we pray
flood the street with hope
to erase the tanks
we don’t remember what day it is
what month
we just know we can’t stop

to my fellow advocates
artists
activists
thank you for leading
for hoping
for teaching
for building
for creating
for each and every time you had to
pivot

MAMA

he called out to his mama
who was 2 years gone 
called out with last breath
last plea
last hope 
called out to be saved 
protected 
called out in fear
called out to his first safety 
he called out to all of us
the mothers of Brown boys
with smiles wide as heaven 
mothers whose sons tower above them
whose arms long to hold
boys who grew into men 
he called out to us 
mama
called to god 
mama
called to the earth 
mama
final cry 
then no more

and the Mothers answered 
with rage 
with pain 
with sorrow 
with the agony of 
hundreds of years of murder
of their sons
of their daughters

the mothers answered

burn it down

BLOOD-SPATTERED BANNER

oh, say, can you see?
by the blue flashing lights
the dream that has failed
the murdered still screaming
strange fruit ripe with scars
from the perilous fight
o'er the lynching we watched
the protests are live streaming
and the bullets red glare
tear gas bursting in air
gave proof through the night
that the hate was still there
oh say does that
blood-splattered banner yet wave?
o'er the land of the free
and the home of the enslaved!

for george floyd

it’s important
durning a pandemic
that we find ways to
feel normal
hold on to our way of life
that we don’t lose our freedom
or the soul of the american dream
so before the shelter-in-place
ordinance is lifted
before we can worship together
dance together
dine together
we must get back to our very foundation
of american liberty
by killing Black men
boots on the necks of Black fathers
knees on the necks of Black sons
a clean death
no blood no guns
just Black hate and asphyxiation
just bystanders with pocketed hands
protecting and serving
white supremacy

watching a man call out for help
the chorus
of
”i can’t breathe”
dancing from the lips of
another black corpse
is more popular
than the star spangled banner
we don’t sing it before games
just at traffic stops
just at stop and frisks
just while being Black

doesn’t this feel normal now
like a pandemic is almost over?
blue lives mean Black death
apple pie and lynching
baseball and knees on Black necks
we can take off our masks now
we can open the country now
we are back on track now

land where our fathers died
land of the killers pride
blue hands committing homicide
let freedom ring

KAREN

i’ll call you karen 
as long as you continue 
to call the cops
on my children
for being black
and breathing 

i’ll call you karen
as long as you continue
to pour micro aggressions 
over me like baptismal waters 
Initiating me into the reality
that i’m only allowed to take up the space
that you give me

i’ll call you karen
as long as you call my families
ghetto
urban
underserved

i’ll call you karen
as long as you use phones as triggers
to bear false witness 
and kill innocent men 

i’ll call you karen 
as long as a black man existing
is threatening your life 
as you strangle your dog 
swing him in mid air
so you can facilitate
the murder of a black man
in a modern 
noose of 911 calls 
and police bullets 

i’ll call you karen
as long as your apologies come 
after your termination 
and with whispers of 
”i don’t see color” 
and 
”i don’t have a racist bone”
and
”i’ve always been good” 
to you people 
i’ll call you karen
because the foul words
the curses 
the spells 
the vile i want to spit 
in your face
are too beautiful 
for you, amy cooper
so i’ll call you karen

PERIOD PARTY

society teaches girls
to be ashamed of their bodies
it teaches us that as we cross over
into womanhood
we should not be proud
that our periods are something to hide
we shouldn’t talk about it
but that’s not how we do things in our house
in our house when you get your period
you get celebrated
you get gifts
you get honored
you are loved
you are reminded that your body is magical
it is godly
you are a vessel for life
for wisdom
for creation in so many forms
and that stepping into your own reign as goddess
is nothing to be ashamed of
celebrate your daughters
in all their stages
fill them with pride
it will root them in a love
that no storm will ever sway
tell them
“tou are beautiful because you breathe
tou are worthy because you live
you are divine because you exist
your body is power. life. magic.
you are the universe
never be ashamed of that”

this is the house that mami built

for the women who rebuild

this is the house that starting over started over
with faith and hope for brick and mortar
that friends and favor once laid straight
took empty space and influenced fate

these are the lives that stumble on
bruised and broken
yet still full of song
tears dried
backs straight and strong
once my babies
now they soldier on

this is the woman
once meek and mild
who tamed her tongue
and smothered the wild
who turned herself inside out
and lost herself in love and doubt

this is the woman
who no longer belongs
to broken men
who wallow in wrong
who holds her head high
above this shit
who reclaimed her power
her humor
her wit

this is the voice
that will not be silenced
not with manipulation
or threats of violence

this is the voice that will shout
loud and bold
her story
her truth
her fight to be told

no more wire hangers

It’s my proximity to God
That bothers you
The reminder that I am
Alpha and Omega
That my body makes infinity
That my power trumps your
Mediocrity
That before your manifest destiny
Nations worshiped me

maybe you think
the burden of pregnancy
of childbirth
and child-rearing
will break me
and when they don’t
you squeeze the vice grip
tighter

forget glass ceilings
we are imprisoned by
the diversion of resources
to pay for armies
and broken pink penises
but not for birth control
or education
or childcare
or healthcare
or elder care
because the g.o.p. doesn’t care
about anything other than
money and guns

your desire to control my womb
is your desire to control me
erase me
subjugate me
to who you think I should be
silent
barefoot
pregnant
and incapable
of burning this nation to the ground

but Iiwill
for my daughters
and their daughters

Dracarys

FOR AHMAUD

the ache
gripping like claws in my stomach
like hands around my throat
the screams catch
the tears fill oceans
there is no word for this agony

is this what lynching looked like
before we had video
before we had viral?

this must be what it looked like
horses turned into cars
nooses into guns
but the murderers
are the same demonic white evil
that hunted and killed
the same innocent beautiful black men

this grief
this cry
guttural
monstrous
voiced from generations in my cells
this pain from
today
yesterday
yesteryear
like a tsunami of grief and anger
not enough to say his name
not enough to tell his story
not enough to add jogging
to the litany of crimes punishable by death
walking
buying candy
sleeping
broken down car
failure to signal a lane change
selling cigarettes
breathing
being
Black

the one thing a pandemic doesn’t stop
the one thing more american than
baseball and apple pie
is the bloody hands of a redneck killer
who finds perverse joy
watching a Black man die

COLOR BLIND

the virus doesn’t see race
it just sees
racism
the systemic kind
the environmental kind
the kind that is generationally-grown
federally-planned
prison system-nourished
slavery jim crow segregation black belt-
bred
this virus doesn’t see race
it just sees food deserts
and sacrificial essential workers
it sees poverty
it sees elderly and invisible
it sees privilege
and passes by
their PPEs
their refrigerators full of groceries
their healthcare benefits
it keeps going to where the harder it can hit
Black faces
Brown faces
struggling places
hospitals full of biases
this virus doesn’t see race
just mass graves
filled with bodies
of the disposable
of the oppressed
of my family

PA TREE ARCHY

long ago
our city planners
planted trees

they only planted male trees
because lady trees are messy with seeds
(the patriarchy is present even in forestry)
so every spring we have male trees
spreading their love into the wind
with no lady trees to get busy with
we people
get covered in tree sperm
(it’s actually called that)
and our eyes swell
noses run
throats itch
can’t stop sneezing
want to pull off our faces and
‘rainch it in cold water
all because lady trees have seeds
and no one wanted to plant
messy seed lady trees
not understanding that if you planted
all lady trees
they wouldn’t seed at all
they would be beautiful
perfect
making your streets better
the air better
everything better
the way ladies always do

alas
male trees sperm everywhere
like in politics and leadership
triggering all of our allergies

excuse me while i try and drain my sinuses

PARASITES

we’ve been under attack
from an invisible enemy
since 1492

parasites
that traveled in the bodies of
colonizers
and enslavers
in murderers
and rapists

the time to close the borders
was before this land was
“discovered”
the time to build a wall
was before this land was
“settled”
but here we are
a country of parasitic filled people
who can’t stay in their privileged homes
comfortable
long enough to save themselves
a country of parasites
who are ok with
sacrificing the essential
a country of parasites
who are okay with
dead bodies piling up
in cooler trucks
in mass graves
as long as the bodies are
Black
Brown
poor
children
you know - the people who don’t count

long before a virus
hate and greed traveled to these shores
this free country
long ruled by
parasites
still Infecting this earth with their
hateful greedy souls

where’s the vaccine for that?

send in the clown

isn’t it rich
it’s far from fair 
our families buried in ground
you lie on air 
send in the clown 

ignorance bliss
republican approved 
death moving like sound
poor people lose
but where are the clowns?
send in the clown

impeachment stopped
collusion’s doors
finally knowing
the hand that russia held was yours
distraction and deceit with your usual flair
unsure of your lines 
dead citizens don’t care 

our country’s a farce
53 percent’s fault I fear
we thought you’d want what we want 
but white supremacy doesn’t care 
but where are the clowns?
quick, send in the clown

don’t bother… the president is here 

is america great now?

last night a d.j. saved my life

when the night was dark
and hope was scarce
when we started to feel alone
that’s when the Healer appeared
with #blackboyjoy
in a White-T
and a hat for a crown
when the air was silent
but for worry and tears
that’s when the Healer appeared
with music magic
connecting us
showing us
the universe we create
when we felt alone
isolated
quarantined
that’s when the Healer appeared
mixing our fear
on ones and twos
and we danced to one beat
for hours we gathered
one hundred thousand strong
dancing in our beds
dancing in our kitchens
dancing
no longer alone
and the vibration was raised
we hope grew
and the Healer
healed
one song
one rhythm
one people
some sang “living on a prayer”
out of open windows tonight
but WE
WE were the prayer
tonight the children saw us
we saw each other
this is what magic feels like
in our blood
in our bones
that are dry no more
tonight for hours the Healer
poured into us
until we drifted off dancing in our dreams
this is Blackness
this is love
this is hope
this is god
thank you D-Nice
we had joy
we had connection
we were indeed schooled at home
reminded what resilience looks like
what our ancestors taught us
WE make beauty from bleak
WE survive
WE had Light in the Darkness
because of you

IT’S THE WORKERS

the world is starting to see
what some us
of have always known:
it’s the workers that hold the world together

hospitals
home care
child care
grocery stores
gas stations
migrant workers
blue collar workers
union workers
the list is endless
the invisible people
we walk by every day
ignore
look down on
think that our degrees
make us better
we are learning
you can’t eat your letters

our food. our safety. our way of life.
depends on them
the workers
the essential workers
holding us all up
respect them
thank them
advocate for them
we owe them everything

GUESS WHO’S FOR DINNER

when america sat down for dinner last night
the justice system in alabama
asked her what she wanted to eat
and she replied
“Black men please
i like them innocent
but incarcerated
with families and dreams
with smiles that are full of light
that bring you joy
and break your heart at the same time”

and alabama said
“dry-aged after years in prison
for crimes they didn’t commit
or farm to table?
our police farmers can pluck one
off the streets tonight if you wish“

america hungrily replied
“do you have any Tamirs
i’ll take that as an appetizer?
save the sweet Sandra for dessert”

and alabama brought the wine list
but it was a waste of time
because america only drinks blood
she prefers a vintage 1953
but any full-bodied lynched red will do

finally
after some thought
and one last look at the menu
america waves down alabama
and says
“i’d like to order a #NateWoods
that sounds like a meal I’d love”
and alabama smiles
“we thought you’d like that
we saved him just for you
bon appétit”

and Rod Serling doesn’t appear
because this isn’t the twilight zone
this is america
this is a cookbook
to serve Black mankind
in print since 1619

WHAT IT TAKES TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT…

be brilliant
like genius level
wit sharper than a razor
have plans that work
teams that adapt
passion unparalleled
ooze integrity
define character
take the stairs
and not the escalator
have experience in abundance
but don’t have breasts
don’t be black
don’t have a vagina
don’t make sense
don’t be younger than 80
don’t epitomize equity
don’t be a WOMAN

dear chicago italians who are offended by the truth

your hero
your explorer
your discoverer of not lost lands
(is there even proof he was italian?)
your christopher columbus
was a murder
a rapist
an enslaver
sold girls as young as 9
into prostitution
committed acts so brutal
so heinous
his trip back to Spain
was in chains

as he stepped his vile feet
upon Bahama’s shores
he wrote this in his journal
’we can subjugate them all
and make them do whatever we want.’

this is the deplorable you must flaunt
he is the father of genocide
the father of transatlantic slavery
the father of white mediocrity
presented as triumph

in 1492
he didn’t discover america
he landed in Haiti
he the reason
8 million Arawak people are no more
brought death and evil
to unsuspecting shores

you are angry about a name change
angry about the mourning
of murdered innocent lives
do you also wear a #MAGA hat with pride?
would you throw a parade for hitler?
have a nazi appreciation day?

is “Indigenous People”
that difficult to say?

BLACK GIRL SCIENCE

well done good and faithful servant
you brilliant mind
you shatterer of ceilings
you the reason we can fly
out of this atmosphere
out of this orbit
out of the stereotypes
that cement us to the earth
Black girls aren’t supposed to
out-math white men
out-science white supremacy
out-think our oppressors
our magic is supposed to only be
entertainment
athletic
never academic
you dispelled that
made it formulaic
made it algebraic
you calculated
infinity and beyond
paved the way for
Brown girls in lab coats
Black girls with STEM hopes
my Aunt Mina worked for NASA too
her way made possible because of you
so rest now
you warrior genius
you grace-filled soldier
you dreamer and achiever
rest now
knowing
there are generations of Black girls
charting new ways into new galaxies
no more Black girls can’t do math fallacies
we are filled with limitless possibilities
we humbly thank you

IT’S SO NICE

it’s so nice that it’s out in the open
hoods laid to rest
along with the pretense
that all men are created equal

it’s lovely
to hear the GOP cheer for lies
to award a bigot
a raging racist
a disgusting deplorable
the medal of freedom
how very american

it’s so nice to no longer have to guess
where we stand
who we are
what we believe

it’s so nice
that even in the face of evil
we are not united against it
easier to support a fascist raping rapist
than to possibly lose an upcoming
local election
easier to agree sign away your daughter’s
reproductive rights
then to lose your proximity to white supremacy

it’s so nice
that it’s all out and in the open
no need to wonder
line in the sand is drawn
if you wear a #MAGA hat
if you make excuses to agree with 45
set the constitution on fire
look the other way
and allow foreign nations
to decide our elections
if you think that corruption in the oval
is in the best interest of the republic
if you don’t care about babies in cages
because you believe that people can be
Illegal
if you can say
“Iican breathe because i follow the law”
in response to the murder of
#EricGarner
like your newest medal of freedom recipient
then we are at war
then you are my enemy
it is not politics
or a different point of view
you want me dead
people who look like me dead
my children dead
and there is no amount of
bipartisanship that can heal that

it’s just so nice to not have to wonder anymore

BLACK MAMBA

What have you done for 20 years
with passion
drive
and excellence ?
What empire have you built ?
What City has breathed in unison with you?
Cried in syncopation with you?
Laughed in harmony with you?
What is your legacy ?
Kobe was Ours
Loved his City
And his City loved him
Great because he worked for it
Great because he never gave up
Great because he stayed and built
Chased excellence and not just a salary cap
Taught us
Showed us
How talented boys grow
into purposeful men
He was a leader
A team mate
That’s what made him Great
The recovery after the loss
The rebound
He was our youth
Our adulthood
Our pace car
An entire generation grew with him
Lock step
He gave his City rings
and now our Hero has wings
But this City of Angels
didn’t need this Angel
this soon
We will mourn for you
harder than we ever cheered for you
Tomorrow isn't promised to anyone
Not the rich and young
Not the talented
Not the fathers
Not the daughters
Not the legends
Not even for our Mamba

SCARLETT ROSE

if you raise free daughters 
they will be the keys that unlock your shackles 
they will teach you how to live without ceilings 
they will show you 
that the space between 
dreams and reality 
is just a beautiful leap 
if you raise free daughters 
they will teach you to 
unlearn 
unprogram 
unpack 
everything you know 
about being a woman 
about loving 
about trusting 
you will speak to yourself differently 
so you can speak to her differently 
you will love yourself differently 
so she can love herself infinitely 
if you raise free daughters 
they will fly far and high 
and you will hold your breath 
bite your tongue 
fight the urge to keep them close 
if you raise free daughters 
your throat will be tight 
as they take flight 
into the milky way 
if your raise free daughters 
they will correct you 
and you will be humbled 
because they will be right 
if you raise free daughters 
they will grow into free women 
and they will never understand 
what it feels like 
to make yourself smaller 
to be loved 
dim your light 
to be accepted 
be silent 
to be safe 
they will lead 
and you will follow 
because if you raise free daughters 
they will break generations-long lies 
that you are limited 
less than 
incapable 
unelectable 
unfit 
they will never know a limitation 
they will forge new paths 
trailblazers
fighters
winners
hope will not be a mustard seed 
it will be a battle cry 
a victory 
they will breathe courage 
and never leave a sister behind 
if you raise free daughters 
they will free you 
and then free the world

PRETENDING

I’ve been pretending to be
A white woman
A Republican white woman
A rich Republican white woman
A trumper
So I don’t have to worry
About seeing my children in camouflage
They don’t have to enlist
To pay for college
I paid for their admission
It’s called being a legacy
I don’t have to worry about
Dead brown Iranian babies
I don’t even care about dead babies
in cages at the boarder
Brown babies are invisible to me
I’m not worried about climate change
That doesn’t exist
Australia is burning
Must be arson
Even I know that a president can’t be removed
During war time
But I don’t know the difference between
Iran and Iraq
And I don’t understand
That Puerto Ricans are American citizens
So I’m not worried about
hurricanes and earthquakes
They have a president to handle that
I’ve been pretending to be a white woman
And it’s the best self care I could have found
So when I think of my children
The college sophomore
The college bound
I don’t think of a draft
Or war
Or police brutality
Or hate
Or their blood on the streets of Chicago
Or their blood watering the world for wars
to protect
a man who never served
and my chest gets tight
and my pulse races
and I can’t breathe
I just repeat
Over and over
I am a white woman
a Republican white woman
a rich Republican white woman
my children are safe my children are safe
my children are safe my children are safe
my children are safe my children are safe

john lewis

I don't have a selfie
With John Lewis
I doubt if we've ever been
In the same room
Or in the same state
At the same time
But I stand with him
Grateful to him
Original Freedom Rider
Freedom fighter
He's been crossing bridges
Building bridges
burning bridges down
For longer than
Most of us have been breathing
He's done more
in one day of his life
Than a Coon or a Cheeto
Will do in a lifetime
I stand with John Lewis
Sit with John Lewis
Kneel with John Lewis
let his courage
Wash over me
Bless the scars
That tell the stories
Of victories won
Wars still fought
His life
His entire life
Has been spent serving
Waging equality's war
Wielding Diplomatic fists
With dignity and sacrifice
I stand with John Lewis
Proud and humble
Fearless and resilient
He has bled for us
Wearing freedom like a second skin
Living legend
Battle worn
We are forever indebted
Forever I shall stand with him

YOU COULD NEVER

We so fly
So magic
So miracle
We who maintain our beauty
While being told
We ain’t shit
We so dope
So brilliant
So bright
We the sun that blinds you
Makes your skin burn bubble peel
We the original
The first
The genius
Realer than Real-Deal Holyfield
We lips
We butt
We skin
We what you want to live in
Wear like costume
Like paint
You want our rhythm
But never our blues
Our men
Our talent
And tan for our hues
We Lucy
We first mother
We trampled on
Stolen
then
stolen from
We your constant inspiration
For duplication
Appropriation
And simultaneous degradation
We who you want to be
While think yourself better
We premier
You could never

FELIZ NAVIDAD

Maria, did you know
that your baby boy would be ripped away when you crossed the water?
Maria, did you know
that cages waited for your sons and daughters?
Did you know
that the price of freedom was separation and death?
This child that you delivered would die while no one wept.

Maria, did you know
that your Baby Boy might disappear in free land ?
Maria, did you know
that your Baby Boy might be adopted by white hands?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little Baby you kissed the face of God?

Maria did you know

The GOP will hate
The nation will fear
infants in a caravan
The ignorant will speak
And post pictures
Of dead brown babies on Instagram

Maria, maybe they know
that your Baby Boy may be Lord of all creation?
Maybe they know
that your Baby Boy could one day rule the nations?
Maybe they know
that your Baby Boy could be heaven's perfect Lamb?
That The sleeping Child your holding is a brown I Am

REDEMPTION

You might be a racist if

After a man goes to prison for
Horrible cruelty to animals
Serves his time
Re-enters society
Uses his name and money willingly
To fight against the culture that he
Participated in
And decades later
You still don’t want him to work in his own profession
Let alone excel in it

You might be a racist if

You protest Michael Vick
And not

Ben Roethlisberger
Julian Eldeman
Mark Sanchez
Richie Incognito
Bruce Miller
Johnny Manziel
Philip Merling

You might hate black men
If you value a dog’s life
Over a human life

You might be appalled reading this
You might say
“I have black friends
I post racial positive things on social media
I believe the children are our future
teach them well and let them lead the way”
But if you also say
“Michael Vick doesn’t deserve to be Pro Bowl Captain
Michael Vick doesn’t deserve to earn a living in the NFL
Michael Vick doesn’t deserve to live his life AFTER paying for his actions as the law has specified”

You might be a racist

If you have ever said “slavery is in the past. We shouldn’t keep talking about it. My grandpa never owned a slave. GET OVER IT”

Then you might just hate black men
And you might be a racist

Never gon’ be president

Hey Pete
Poor kids
*cough* black
In poor neighborhoods
*cough* black
Aren’t living lives
Without role models
Without value on education
Without aspirations
Greater than America’s boot on our necks
Tells us we should have
We have been soaring in higher education
Flying with Intellect
Making ways out of no ways
Teaching each other to learn
To write
To read
Even under threat of death
Long before your father arrived from Malta
Long before you forgot your immigrant legacy
And became white
If you see a gap
Disparities
Inequities
Lack of resources
It’s not because we chose it
Because we woke up one day and said
“We don’t want no education
We don’t want no good schools
We don’t want no safe neighborhoods
We don’t want nothing but to be killed by
Blue hands”
It was made this way
Structured this way
Supported this way
Racism works this way
Our heroes don’t just testify to the
Importance of education
They are gods and goddesses of survival
Kings and Queens of resilience
They built this country
And then they built our own schools
Our own communities
Our own wealth
And no matter how many times
This country has tried to burn us down
Still we rise
From the ashes
From the asphalt
From the projects
From the hoods
From the lack
From the denial
From the klan
From jim crow
From red line and black belts
From death
We rise
With caps and hoods and tams
In our black hands
Degrees in our black hands
Hope in our black hands
That we have crafted
Molded
Planted and harvested
For our generations to collect
It’s ok Pete
You are dangerous
You are a liar
You are an embarrassment
But I know
*in my best Hamilton voice*
“You never gon’ be president”

LET ME GIVE YOU A GUN

Let me give you a gun
Because you have the right
To bear arms
Go ahead
Murder babies
In Sandy Hook
And teenagers
In Parkland
And music lovers
In Vegas
And employees
In Aurora
And Shoppers
In Walmart
And children on the streets of Chicago
Let me give you guns
You don’t have to do much
Just give me some money
I don’t care if you are
Sane
Just bring me green
And I’ll give you ammo
And pay my lobbyist
To cover your government
In blood drenched bills
And arrange for the NRA
To meet your president
In a hotel
And make his video of urination on a
Russian prostitute
Look like a Disney short
Here
Let me give you guns
Because it’s your American birth right
Like baseball and apple pie
And racism and genocide
Like hate and capitalism
Here
Let me give you guns
And when you weep over
Your 1st graders
Dead
Bullet holes bigger than golf balls
And your high school students
Swimming in the blood of their peers
And coworkers hiding behind desks
Like they are in battleground trenches
I’ll give you
Thoughts and prayers
This is a war zone
But the idiot that hate elected
Calls a national emergency
For a border crisis that doesn’t exist
And ignores the chalk outline drawn
Around this entire country
Here
Let me give you a gun

*Edited to add Dayton Ohio because, America*
*Edited to add Santa Clarita because, America*

Caravan

I am walking

Thousands of miles 

Towards a hope 

That I know hates me 

In weary arms 

I carry my world 

On my shoulders 

I carry my dreams 

On my hip I carry my legacy 

I carry them 

Hungry 

Tired 

Afraid 

Confused 

I carry them 

From certain death 

From daughters 

Ripped from beds 

Raped and forced into prostitution 

Sons ripped from beds

Forced to murder 

their friends 

their family 

I have nothing 

But the knowledge 

That if I make it to 

America 

Where I will be hated 

Denigrated 

Work jobs no one else wants

Often not get paid 

Live in shadows 

Become invisible 

Never to return 

At least 

At least 

At least 

My babies will be alive 

I want nothing from you 

But to work

To sleep on streets 

That aren’t flooded with soldiers 

I will accept your hate 

Your ignorance 

Your disgust 

In exchange for the lives of my children 

Maybe they will 

Contribute like all the immigrants before us 

Who make your country 

All that you worship 

Your music 

Your movies 

Your food 

Your culture 

Your way of life 

You owe to an immigrant 

Even your precious president 

I know what they won’t grow up to be 

An elder killer 

Children slayer 

Mass shooter 

That’s a job held by Christian white men 

So I will walk

Across countries 

With blistered feet 

Towards the gates of hell 

Into the arms of hate 

To make a deal with the devils 

To save the lives of my children 

Wouldn’t you 

Would your Christ 

Build A Wall 

Or Walk with a Caravan

Originally posted November 5, 2018. 

Backpacks

When black boys are born

We mothers kiss their faces

Twirl our fingers in their curls

Put them in carriers on our chest

Show them to the world

Our tiny black princes

And when they start school

As early as 3

We mothers

Place huge back packs on their backs

And we slowly fill them with bricks

Etched with tools

Tattooed with truths

Hoping to save them

Don't talk back

Don't get angry

Say yes ma'am

Say no sir

Don't fight

Even if they hit you first

Especially if they are white

Do your best

Better than best

Be still

Worker harder

BRICK

they get a little older

And we add more

Keep your hands out of your pockets

Don't look them in the eye

Don't challenge

Don't put your manhood before your life

Just get home safe

Don't walk alone

Don't walk with too many boys

Don't walk towards police

Don't walk away from police

Don't buy candy or ice tea

Don't put your hood up

I'll drive you

I'll pick you up

You can't be free

Don't go wandering

Come home to me

BRICK

They get a little older

And we add more

Understand you are a threat

Standing still

Breathing

Your degrees are not a shield

Your job is not a shield

Your salary makes you a target

Your car makes you a target

Your nice house in a nice neighborhood

Makes you a target

Don't put your ego before your safety

Don't talk back

Don't look them in the eye

Get home to your wife

Your son

BRICK

They weigh them down.

This knowing

Of having to carry the load

Of their blackness

the world hasn't changed

The straps just dig deeper into their skin

Their backs ache

But their souls don't break

Our beautiful black men

When you say to me

All lives matter

I simply ask

Will your son die with the world on his back

Mine will

And The Light Dims 

Little girls are light

The moment we know

Our wombs house them

They become our glow

We wrap them

in pink blankets

brown skin

radiating love

And soon

When the words come

So do the questions

Can I have this doll

The one with the yellow hair

And blue eyes

She's beautiful

Can I be beautiful

Can my pony tail hang down my back

Why can't I have hair like her

And the light dims

And soon

When the understanding comes

the self hate flutters in

Like a colonial moth

On wings of oppression

At school there are no books with me

With my skin

My nose

My hair

I'm not pretty

And the light dims

And soon

womanhood

Dances around their youth

Hand outstretched

Inviting them to sway

Dancing to melodies

That sound like independence

The anger comes

He accused me of cheating

Me

I've never had an average under a 98

He accused me

In front of the class

The entire class

He says he only dates

White girls

Light girls

They asked if my hair is real

If they could touch it

They did

I didn't say they could

They called me ghetto

They called me nigger

Why did that man just call my mother

Girl

And the light dims

And we mothers weep

into our pillows

In the Shower

In the car

Tears we know they will shed too

Because the world hasn't changed

Behind our desks

Solitary and alone

The only woman

The only brown

The only other

And we are asked to

Educate

Explain

Be the voice of our people

Why do you people

Say

Do

Act

Can you explain rap

What's a chitterling

Work place Mammies

Wet nurses

breasts filled

With black trauma

Suckling ignorance

Promotions passing us by

Like tides that never reach our shores

And our supposed 70 cents on the dollar

Is undoubtedly less

In our black checks

But we can't prove it

And our light Dims

we balance our love

On titanium backs

With feet cemented in

"This won't be my daughter's life"

We turn ourselves

Inside out

No sacrifice too great

To help them spread wings

Not weighed down by their blackness

But fueled by it

But their feet sometimes are tethered to

An earth filled with welfare queen lies

Because brown girls can't fly

too high

Can't soar above

Yellow hair

If they do

They might swing from an imaginary

Noose

Too short for their 6 foot body

And die for not signaling a lane change

when you say

All lives matter

I ask

Will your daughter be sexualized

Before she bleeds

Will her brilliance always be doubted

Will she always be marginalized

Race and sex intersecting like knife in flesh

Will your 5 year old

Whisper in your ear

While wrapped in your loving arms

"Raquel says I'm too dark to be pretty"

Will your daughter hate her own skin

Mine have

Black girls matter too

Cat caller: what dat mouth do

Me: talk shit 

Cat caller: what dat P***y taste like ?

...My p***y tastes like justice 

Like revolution rolled into 

cinnamon dipped 

Honey mango coated sweetness 

To help you swallow bitter black hate 

My p***y tastes like 

power 

purpose 

and peace 

My p***y tastes like 

knowledge 

and passion 

Universe flavored 

Seasoned with star dust 

My p***y tastes like infinity 

She is alpha and omega 

The beginning and the end 

My p***y tastes like Genesis 

It leads 

It rules 

Even her whispers are shouts 

My p***y tastes like 

command

Inspiration and integrity

A compass for more than your phallus

My p***y directs your soul 

My p***y tastes like

queendom come

When I cum

My reign 

makes it rain

Hot sweet sticky

My p***y tastes better

than mediocre men's tears 

My p***y tastes like

Matriarchal militias

Mutating by millions 

Marching heavy on your tongue 

My p***y tastes like justice