Panorama
Blackness is a pleasure.
I can imagine
the long line
of women
who look like me
& wonder where
their bodies end
& mine begins.
Flesh of chocolate
A face checked
by the hand of God.
My DNA is made
of blood, sweat & tears.’
I was formed
by the whip, the field
& the chain.
Centuries later,
I embody words, books
& knowledge.
All my people watched the inferno of our bloodline.
To see my phoenix, take flight
Mama, can you see my light?
I apologize for what I didn’t do when you were alive.
I am here.
The Political Alabaster
These are the darkest of days, despite the sun
that still beams in the sky over the masses.
There’s a shakeup in society
that’s causing tremors in time going back ages
ago, the doors are open, but beware
The cracks are wide and deep, the foundation
is crumbling from the echoes of spirits who
fear for the living, descendants who have not seen
Their hands, bloodied and bruised,
once held up the columns for the home
of presidents, dignitaries and world leaders,
who walk the floors that were scrubbed daily
Men of position tour these corridors
of power, discussing borders, making deals
and breaking promises, while the spirits watch
and listen, they’ve heard it all before,
so many times, before, and they remember
when they were told, directly and indirectly,
that these corridors were not for them
Now the white walls are turning orange,
a virulent hue, and the spirits cry out
against the injustice, a poison that runs
through the veins of our nation
Administrative Disaster
This administration has decided to end life as we know it in the United States.
A presidential bomb on the collective citizenry
Now bodies litter the White House lawn
Can’t determine which are from red or blue states
The remaining are walking corpses – fighting for masks
while insurance companies sink their hands into our bank accounts
Negatives on top of negatives
Does not equal positive
We, the people, have become disposable
If we can’t be recycled into dollars & cents
That’s the only thing the government cares about
The financial system is collapsing,
Wall Street keeps posting losses
the fat cats are starving
when money is scarce
We crave a cure
Before night closes our eyes
& our bodies are swept off the lawn
We are victims of a viral explosion
& a weak support system
Our society now contaminated bits & pieces
We don’t have any gloves to put ourselves
back together again
