but you must understand
we are a resilient people
our strength has to be revered
because who could survive
what we have
yes,
what we have
survived
is in reverence of strength
by a resilient people
that you must know
in order
to understand
Rhetoric by Design
to qualify
the quality
of equality
you must first believe in
and successfully conduct
the qualifying
quality
of inequality
otherwise
why remind,
and enforce within a people
a birthright of humanity
if you did not first
instruct with a crude measure of
inhumanity
to have balance
one must know and act
in the state of
imbalance
therefore to empower
you must first
be willing
to give power
not the illusion of
creating a belief
in a reality
that may never manifest
for all groups
as much as
some groups
or
one group
by design
The Reason I Prose Poetically
if I spoke
as a matter of fact
if I wrote
plainly
would you hear me,
could you listen with an open mind?
oh, and what platform,
what platform indeed
would there be for me to have
therefore I write the yearning of intellect
and the beat of emotion
then call it, poetry
because
if you absorb it as art
your mind may open
and you will indeed
hear me
see me
know me
and follow my stanzas
as a call for action
empowerment
courage
enlightenment
identity
love
investigation
wonder
balance
and peace
Should I take the Floor?
how much do I have to speak,
for you to listen
or how silent must I be
to get you to listen
and what would you take my silence for?
an asylum of solace,
or an insane asylum?
they say silence speaks volumes
sometimes silence takes Valium
but of which volume,
will you perceive from?
one of submission?
as in accepting defeat and wrongness,
rendering words worthless
and a point, dominated and unlearned
one of omission?
where passivity proves to be safest
an ongoing state of being unheard
helping you to fly under the radar
avoiding pressurized detection,
and social defection
one of permission?
needing to ask for the time of day
seeking approval in the words you have
and the words you say?
or one of emission?
emission of truth and opinion
or the remission into falsities and adherence
adherence to voicelessness
summoning words,
yet the very words spoken,
not being of your own
but that of another’s, for their comfort
all the while adhering to the persistence of discomfort
will you ever listen?
will you ever shut your opinions the fuck up?!
so I don’t have to always seem like the angry guy
with every passive or assertive attempt unrecognized
only known now for aggressiveness
aggression sparked by you
harmed by your attacks on my voice and truth
refusing to unlearn, to learn more
while forcing me into an ominous silent squander,
never comfortable, never sure
if what I have to say
is being heard, or ignored
and so again, I become silent
or silenced, once more
because of your refusal,
to offer me the floor
Vicissitudes and What-You-Call-Its
first I was,
unknown
but I was,
open arms
then I became,
bamboozled
and thereafter,
barbarized
pillaged
raped
conquered
destroyed,
colonized
and so I became,
tyrannized
oppressed
subjugated
property
enslaved
then I became titled,
subhuman
savage
pagan
then my identity macerated
my name enduring a constant state of flux
no longer African
and once a brilliant array of pliable colors
now abraded with immutable disenfranchisement
a physiognomy acculturated to demonization
adjectives metamorphosed to superfluous nouns
nouns that narrated ominous trepidation
from once fervent and effervescent beings
I became,
nigger
then,
colored
then,
negro
then,
black
then,
Afro American
and now,
African American
what next?
I Am
I am
creation-
light
life
love
balanced
knowing
understanding
wise
I am
created-
able
willing
resilient
persistent
ambitious
inspired
imaginative
I am
creative-
thinking
gifted
talented
diverse
intuitive
innovative
passionate
I am
creator-
constructive
productive
proactive
architect
potter
artist
inventive
but, I am
destroyed-
pushed on
pushed out
pressed on
pressed down
kicked on
stepped on
stood on
trekked on
down looked
looked past
spat on
cut down
broken down
crushed up
built on
used up
cut out
counted out
then, I am
forgotten
forsaken
yet, I am
forgiving?
and yet still,
I Am