Monday, October 24, 2011

Poetry: "Taste Freedom"



When I enter into the silence
With my eyes closed
My breathing slows
Stillness lumbers into my bones
As the twitching of my muscles subsides

I sense the wrestling of my soul

I feel the majesty of the universe that surrounds me

I drink from the well of hope and love

As fear, doubt, and loneliness
seeps out from within

It's in those moments that
I
know

I am not alone

I am amongst
my family of humankind
Ghosts of humanity
as the spirits of the animals
dance amongst us
the birds sing
our heartbeats thump in unison
a common drumbeat
for our souls to
taste freedom

as
the earth holds us tightly
to her bosom
and the wind
carries all our worries
into the infinity of
the universe.

I awaken to freedom.

As time moves along
My body awakens
to the starkness of my
humanity

Difference is my burden
My breathing quickens
Fear rushes in
My silent moments
All forgotten

It's my white brethren
And their maidens
Who and whom
shackle
my body
taint my mind
subjugate me to
their indifference
they take without asking
no thank you is afforded me
nor required according to them.

I enter into the silence
with my eyes closed
my breathing slows
stillness lumbers into my bones
as the twitching of my muscles subsides.

I awaken to freedom.

10/21/2011

Poetry: "A Mantra of Desire and Hope: God’s Got This"


When I enter and get close to home
The notion
And
Mantra
Becomes all too familiar
God’s Got This

The institutions
The common place
Indifference
The cynicism
And skepticism about
Shakes me to my core
The downcast eyes
The blatant racism
The white indifference
God’s Got This

As I pass the border unto
The reservation

God’s Got This

The stale air of depression
Descends into my soul
The insanity
The injustice
Pervades
Destitution abounds
God’s Got This

I leap from one house to another
Where there is safety
And solace
God’s Got This

It is in those moments
Amongst family that
I know
The endurance
Of the human spirit
The capacity to love
Of love, regardless
The tenacity of hope
In spite of
The egregiousness of living
Irrespectively
God’s Got This

Outside of the safety of homes
My nation of
People tear at each other’s
Spirit
Take hope
Covet it
Gladiators
In the quest to survive
Regardless
God’s Got This

Words become spears
Tearing flesh and splitting minds
Piles of bodies lie about
As people gather
Enough so they
Can awaken to another day
Where hope can endure yet again
God’s Got This

Children have seen
And know death
Long before it is necessary
The speak about it without
Flinching
Sharing the ghastliness of it
Telling stories as
Though they are tales
Of a place to be
Or they long to be
God’s Got This

Alcohol is the medicine
That keeps the rage at bay
Unravels people’s minds
Helps people endure
The place where America has forgotten
Alcohol is not for our bodies
A gift from the white man
To take away our lands
Our Minds
Ultimately, our spirit
God’s Got This

Hospitality and love
Are not afforded to one another
Only kin and strangers
God’s Got This

It is when the drums beat
The sage is burned
Everyone is summoned
Do we all remember
Our common history
The shame we’ve endured
The love we’ve not yet known
The love that is in abundance
God’s Got This

10/24/2011