the real American dream
is the privilege, or ignorance
to actually believe in it
I can only wish myself so lucky
Culture
Ultimatum
it seems at the summit of black sovereignty and liberation
is to not have to battle white cruelty,
but white ignorance
to reap any semblance of peace and autonomy
and although the answer may seem obvious too many
appearing as not so much a choice but a gift
given the nature of both verbs-
cruelty or ignorance,
one implying an aggressive and nefarious guilty act
and the other, implicating a passive child-like innocence-
that I can only hope the free will and pleasure to choose from,
as if deciphering between shit and candy
but my conscious mind that yearns to question all things
can not help but to wonder
which is truly the best or worse of the sort
and is it a choice at all
or an…
Color Doesn’t Matter that it Matters
my, this coat of superficial yet rich historical element
surfacing shallowly as an arbitrary color, matters
because my color
has always been perceived-
in the stark bright, fluorescent white light of America,
and all that is seen holy divine right and pure-
as an antagonist
or antagonized
so I must matter
and I can’t stand how you ‘treat’ the ‘things’ you attribute matter to,
as things
tarnished, used, depleted, destroyed, and done away with
as if its presence is inconvenient
and you’d as quickly devise a method to do away with me with finality
if you could
I feel just like the bastard son of Mother Nature
as I am her Son
I should be proud of this
but the imposed treatment upon us both
makes it hard to call for celebration
when struggle permits the glory
and by the sudden or processive changing of a season, climate, or weather
or a natural disaster
can bring about the same attitude
to the my walking into a room unannounced or expected
or a momentary yet justified slip of composure
matters of perspective (grumblings from the top)
black lives matter,
that’s prescribed
everyone matters,
that’s subscribed
everything matters,
that’s contrived
but everything is matter
no! stop it, shut up! that’s a lie!
because nothing is made even or equal,
besides there is only high ground for me and mine!
So Disrespectful
the problem with social consciousness…
the rebuttals
my homie said,
you know what’s coming next after this black lives matter moment is over
I said, nuh uhn, what?
he posed, what’s the most disrespectful thing you can say when someone is talking to you?
I responded, I don’t know, umm… what you gunna do bout it?
he laughed his answer, “ok…you done?”
as if to say, “next” disrespectful, feigning disregard and lack of care
almost as if the moments in the light was to pacify a child
and I laughed, knowing it’s so true, but said, “they better not!”
it won’t be said clearly like that, but that is what they’ll be saying
because the powers that be understand that its not who laughs first
but in this case, it’s different
because they laughed first and as far as they are concerned
will have the last laugh
this is why some black people are in denial ignorantly hopeful and optimistic,
as to assuage more defeat and demoralization
and counter to that
this is why some black people are just realistically pessimistic, understanding a deeper truth that most rather live in oblivious denial or conscious acceptance of
as to continue the comfort in the reality they choose to accept
and this is what causes impulsive fury and rage amongst this other half of black people
while others on the outside looking in, nab at their tactics and justify a process of civility which has not been allotted to those that suffer in acquiesced submission and enforced and forced upon silence
they see how the world works
and it’s never be in their favor
so they do with what they have, per the options they have
making something from nothing
sometimes by high spirited resilience and ingenuity
and at other times
by an infuriatingly tired and hopeless any means necessary attempt at survival
righting the many wrongs that not only plagued their ancestors
but also their daily life,
stripping any chance at innocence and independence
that should be the promise of each human soul growing into adulthood
as far as they are concerned,
that choice was made for them before they were born
and so the choices they make often is a matter of life or death
so when it comes to perception with the choices they finally make,
to speak as a matter of fact,
they could give a fuck
because deep down they know, beyond appearances
most don’t give a fuck
and the powers that be, definitely give no fucks
oh and if you are confused by my use of the powers that be
and would like to know who I am referring to
well then you are more lost than them
and ignorance must be such an enjoyable ignorance
I know people that would kill to be afforded that ignorance-
and the privilege, potential, and perceptions that come along with
Bordered Up
boundaries create lines
lines not to be crossed without permission
but before there were lines
there was free terrain
and the freedom to explore
travels, journeys, expeditions, explorations, discoveries, and conquests
these things were considered adventure
all with a freedom that didn’t create hate
separating people from their spirits and true natures
a freedom that didn’t thirst in conquering people and mother nature
a freedom that didn’t keep people out, thriving to understand, not dominate
a freedom that didn’t divide people based on color
what was color anyway?
freedom of seeking and destiny
new boundaries created artificial lines-
coveting land as if it became slave to the exploits of man
and these artificial lines bordered ourselves in and others away
away from humanity
away from familiarity, communion, and acculturation
away from understanding
away from empathy
now, bordering us within indifference
within seclusion and hate
aligning race, separating colors, and dominating genders
now to think of it
personal boundaries are both a luxury,
and an oppressive tool
a tool we ignorantly use-
hammering the sole right of each individual,
at the expense of growing self, and knowing others
without reflection and historical awareness on how the nature of these drawn lines, borders, and boundaries came to be destructive
as to create them with a higher mind
we just get caught up in our own bubbles
wanting to own space in a world that was created for us all equally
of course, there are personal lines that are deserving of privacy
but since I’m on the topic of boundaries and borders
they do give a good sense of safety
but also a compass of power and the powerless
but who and what do they keep us safe from,
and who becomes more powerful and powerless because of them?
well if I’m speaking directly, historically, currently, and objectively
we can’t adhere to the assented societal minimization of things making issues solely about themselves and their experience
because it creates an atmosphere of fear-mongering
responded to with attitudes of self-preservation
I just thought I’d shine a light on three groups of people here in America
three groups of people affected the most by borders and boundaries
at one point, this land that we call America wasn’t divided
and yes, times evolve
although we call it the United States of America, United amongst its separations
but money created the divisions in this country
This was the wide and vast terrain of Native Americans
where are they now?
a silent, forgotten genocide
they also warred, bled, and died for and on this land
the land of their ancestors
The Mexicans at the border used to roam these lands as well,
after all, the landmass was connected
where are they now?
trying to get in by any means, and being kept out by the border
they also warred, bled, and died for and on this land
part of the land of their forefathers
And a little bit of historical context,
Africans that had traveled, shared culture, and commerced within these lands that are split by borders
centuries later they were bought, enslaved, and brought into this land
charged with building it
where are they now?
freely oppressed with nothing to show for it
the very system creating impoverished and gentrified communities,
it’s constructed highways and intrusive corporations-
separating and endangering the poorer
taking even more land for itself
in the name of “creating jobs”
with perceptual biases keeping them further than arms reach from self-determination and ownership in many respects still in this country
a country they also warred, bled, and died for, and in
But spoils of war goes the boundaries
and up goes the borders
and down goes the communities
and away with civility and humanity
because I guess we as people are too pretentious and incapable at times
so inter-personality needs to be structured with borders
insert:
social distancing through social media, pandemics, workforce, legislation, and school curriculum
I wonder…
who was this land opened for during reconstruction?
like I know we say immigrants
but at what time of history
and what color of people did America loud horn- “bring your sick, your poor, your…”
well you get the message
In Trump’s words and world,
those people wouldn’t have came from what’s been considered as-
“shit hole countries”
my, oh my, how the times have changed