My Flesh #5

My eyes are wide open
how I wish they were closed
and I was deep in sleep
then when morning came
and I rose
this would be a nightmare
played out solely
in the recesses of my
unconsciousness

My eyes are wide open
and my heart is bleeding
on the inside of me
for the mother who
cries as her child lies
in plain sight
struck by a hatred
disguised

My eyes are wide open
as a look to heaven
wanting to ask
why my God why
nothing I tell her will
ease this void
violently imposed
this fateful day

My Flesh #4

As I cry
I rejoice
for I believe
with all of me
as hard as it is
to accept the
end result
our children
are having a new kind
of fun
over the moon
circling the sun
in the midst of
heat theirs is a cool
relief

As I cry
I rejoice
for I believe
the devil had to
get permission
to take Trayvon
out of this world
in order to usher
him into the next

over the moon
circling the sun

My Flesh #3

My skin
screams for justice
just as his voice
cried

It's truth
he died
in a fight
unfair

Makes no difference
a tree
a gun
a river
or the
sidewalk

His blood
left his body
and hit the
ground

My skin
screams for justice
just as his voice
cried

How the memory
of my ancestors
looks
at this America
in disdain
relived pain

Our sons
are gone
from this walk
we are propelled
to gather together
just as
we gathered together
for the cause
of humanity and justice

My skin
screams for justice
just as his voice
cried

My Flesh #2

As long as our skin is darker than most
mahogany brown
blue black
or African
we shall see harder days
but joy awaits
with our heavenly gaze

As long as our skin is darker than most
fitting in will be difficult
at best
looking for our place
of comfort
in this land will seem
to be elusive
as sandcastle
on dry land

As long as our skin is darker than most
we will have
to school our children
on how to simply
walk to the store
for candy and soda
shall we go two by two
I think so
but even this is no guarantee

As long as our skin is darker than most
I'm going to make sure that
death will be stared in the face
life beyond the clouds will
be a final resting place
because God will be the
final judge of where and when
we open our eyes a second time

Another Ship Won't Do

It runs deep
the root of the soul
of a people
snatched by the life
and limb
from the humble
abode of what they called
home
to be dragged
through resistance
to travel a road
never known
seen or heard
the words said,
go back where you
came from
with no thought
to the remembrance
of ancestors past
who transported
the masses
to a land
we never dreamed of seeing
slaving over or serving
where we come from
is no longer
a choice
we have to be
comfortable
where we are or
die
trying
crying
praying

My Flesh

My flesh says what you say
I hear your
screams
for blood lost,
and I shed tears
at the thought of
dead justice

My reason says
this could have been avoided
in so many ways
blood lost
shed tears
dead justice

My motherhood
says I've lost my child
my heart grieves
but he's safer now
can I change tomorrow
for some other mother

My Spirit says
be comforted in knowing
God will take care of
the unjust as well as the peace makers
trailblazers
and the martyrs
blood lost
shed tears
dead justice

My flesh wants what it wants
retaliation
vindication
annihilation
but that makes me no
better than the
oppression
disguised
as self defense

I Wrote A Book

There's a reason why
I'm not dating
If I could take all the
credit
for my singleness
I would
But I choose to
call it like I follow
the path of destiny
for every other aspect of my life
so with that I say
God has taken me on
a majestic carpet ride
as a sojourner
a world
stateside traveller
three years of globetrotting
to find my way back to
the lone star state
to reunite
with my babies
my girlfriends
and my mate

A Book

when I come across slavery
of any year
by any name
I feel some kind
of way
like a raging
mudslide
or a rupturing volcano
I am filled with anger
rage and emotion
but alas
I cannot change
the past yet I pray
for the future
as do the others
who see as I see