rights
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My green lady
Your amber countenance long kissed away by the seas' invisible lips
All the while looking on as your city claimed land hand over fist
A kiss on the forehead
Is a gesture of betrayal
It's not a kiss of love
Filled with joy and humor.
The year I was born
Was the same year Matthew Shepard was murdered
The same year blood filled our televisions
And anger burned our throats
The year I was born was when everything changed
Black,
White.
Muslim,
Christian.
Rich,
Poor.
We are covered in labels,
And drowning in sterotypes.
We can't break free,
From the painful lies.
My skin is white,
I know I’m beautiful.
The compliments are nice…
But not new.
Not meaningful.
Not unique.
You told me I was wearing a nice shirt-
BEFORE YOU READ THIS PEOM INVOLVES RAPE
Look down
Keep your phone out
"Take" a call
That way he won't go after you.
Don't look
Don't smile
Don't laugh
Bang! Bang!
The gun sang and the sound rang as he hangs
His blood spilt inside of the house he had built
Filled with guilt; you rapidly rose
He turns a cyrstal pale and looks so frail
How can
Men control our bodies
When
They refuse to wear a condom
Or
Even knows how a tampon works
Instead of sticking them
Up your nose
Why don't you educate yourself
because
I am not an age
Not a weight
Not a height
I am not a gender
Not a name
I am that thought
Floating in my head
My father and I were sitting in a new restaruant
looking over the menus.
We loved to go to new places and try new foods.
I think it was one of the many reasons we got along so nicely.
ALONE
Hollow. That’s the fear I feel.
The loneliness floods my chest like a
Riptide.
Human presence makes me feel
my body is not your body. this is
not your bulging stomach, pocked skin, stubborn jaw.
stomach that. i'm my own woman.
my body has rights. it's its own free thing.
The only creature
who truly knows freedom:
high-flying bird
Give me freedom or
Give me DEATH!
I'll settle for rights.
A 16 year old
with car keys in hand
In the quiet of my closet I speak
And the words sound more like a cry for help
A plea for escape
Or at least for someone to turn the lights on
This piece is a comment on gun violence in America, an issue I am incredibly passionate about. I participated in the March for Our Lives in my city and have been a vocal part of my community on this issue.
I’m going to tell you a story
But bare with me
Because it’s one I’ve heard so many times
That the chapters bleed together
Slavery...the practice of forcing an individual to work, With absolutely no pay.Hustling early morning to late night in the fields,With undoubtfully no say.Day by day, the slaves pray,To make it out alive, knowing they must stay. Bull whips constr
Glass clouded with Hemlock's breath,with a crunch I step untoand revel in the sight of deathso sweet, compared to bitter you.
One shot
Two shot
Three shot
four
Mama doesnt wanna send her kids to school anymore
One down
Two down
Three down galore
Tell me why our voices are so easy to ignore
My life
His life
I used to be afraid.
Afraid to speak my mind in an unkind world
That shut my mouth for me before I even opened it.
I learned to sit down and shut up
I never learned how to apply for a loan.
I had to ask my mother how to buy a home.
My mind nearly collapses
Trying to file taxes.
Yet I feel like I’m expected
Not to be protected
I'm having this dream where I'm driving,
and then, of course, you come along.
I have never met you but I bet that because
I saw you in my dream we are bound to meet someday
What is freedom?
Is it the brainchild of purpose?
The essence of existence
A false reality made by unfathomable content
Freedom squirms in the antagonized grasp,
If being a "liberal"
Means that I can plainly see what's wrong with the world
Then I'm a liberal
If being "evil"
Means that I believe women have the right to choose
Then I'm nefarious
To you,
the struggling rainbow after each dark storm.
To you,
my gorgeous warrior,
my faithful sun.
Do not stop fighting,
but if you must,
do not let yourself be silenced.
Dear Vegetarians,
I am one of you.
A word that defines 4% of our youth
And only 3% of adults.
A definition that encompasses so much more
dear the person we thought we could trust,
here's to another night,
of being curled in a ball,
sobbing out my emotions.
you hurt me again.
and it left me confused as to why?
Dear Oppressor,
I would like you to thank you.
Your mind may be orchestrating millions of ideas on why I would be saying thanks.
Why would she thank her oppressor? Is she crazy?
At five,
when I fell off my bicycle for the first time and bled,
my mum leapt in to pick me up and ,"Honey!”, she said, “You know why Superman has a cape that is red?"
I'm sorry I woke you
You used to say I could.
You crossed your fingers, nodded your head, like I knew you always would.
You whisper sweet words of decit, as you look into my eyes
Hurt and abusedLost and confusedFeeling accused, just by being you.The color of your skin does not define youThe length of your dreads does not disguise you. The way that you walk does not deprive youBut the way that your heart is will arise you.
Suddenly I became ur reflection in my mirror.Suddenly things have changed when the worlds' issues grew bigger.And overtime I mesmerized about the shit that i was sick of.Putting in work for people who couldn't care to even pickup.My moral benefits
Dear high schools across America
I just wanted you to see my perfectly round, slender shoulder
It is 2017.
The Great United States is almost 250 years old,
250 years of experience and struggles
Yet men and women are still not equal
The Princess and the Peace
By Sophia de Castro
Once upon a time,
There was a princess
Who dreamt of the day she would sleep peacefully,
Unbothered by the peas underneath her mattress.
To live the American dream means to be the one living in the family house that you own
Debt free
That you paid with the money that your white ancestors swept from my black ancestors hands
It was the beginning of the weather,
The sun shone through the leaves,
A fair maiden sat upon her bench,
With a stare of many greaves.
By the end of summer,
Her father wanted her wed,
The United States is one of the greatest to exist
For its freedom of our citizens will forever persist.
Some say that freedom is a made-up ideal
But our constitution and rights have never been appealed
For all the lives lost and the wars won you would think America would stand by its national anthem where we are all equal.
dear you,
beautiful black woman
you woke up to a nightmare, november ninth
Make America Great Again,
America was Great.
America was Great,
January,
The third friday,
The 20th,
Is
This
Not
The
Very
Nation
Built on religion
That goes to elaborate
A clear
Segregation
Between
Church
And
State
And the same country that
Land of the free. Land of poverty.
In this country you’re judged on sexuality, and ethnicity.
In actuality, we shouldn’t be a theocracy.
We got legality that we can believe,
It all started with the Drums.
That steady beating that created towers and slums.
Steady beating for those wounded and fallen,
Drumming for those who were beaten and forgotten
All were supposed to seen as a patriot,
America
Home of free and brave
Everyone 'loves' America
But why are we so divided?
If America is beautiful,
why do we pollute?
If America is great,
why do we hate?
Sometimes we think that,
Others are spoiled, and we are victims.
It is proposed,
“This country is dying, failing, a broken system,”
“Was it ever great?” they echo,
Each election hastens shock and recoil,
A child who does not believe is not brave.
Many feel decieved by the violence and the hate.
Every child has the right to life
Right to live and to be protected
Instead we are teaching them how negotiate
Oh, can you see?
The protestors in the early light
So proudly we march
To regain our stolen rights
Rainbow stripes and loud cries
Break the silence of the day
Throughout the world we marched
America? Known as a nation reborn,
Through war and tragedy we still uplift our hopes.
We take each other by the hand urging them to hold on,
There are the men that choose to face each other causing hate and struggle.
The man in the orange mask does not know my struggles.
He does not know my intentions.
Or my dreams.
But how could he?
For it is a nation that strived on the working class,
The curtain has been hung,
tied,
and strung.
The masks has been beaded,
laced,
and covered with a face.
Just because I am gayDon’t think I like you, I like hot guysDon’t think I can’t judge women, I am not blindDon’t think I am weak, I am stronger than youJust because I am gayIt doesn’t mean I am not supported, I receive even more support than youIt
We say the land of the free
And yet we have a scandal about our President’s
Pee.
This doesn’t seem to be very fair to
Me.
Restriction is my freedom
Similarities seem so different
With a new world, came a new life
Life I always dreamed
But now never wanted
Have you ever thought about what goes behind making your soap
Have you considered the methods of how its made
For animals, there is no hope
They just want someone to come to their aid
There are some so selfish, egotistical.
There are some, through actions: analytical-
determining suite, of gloom and fright
As if to say: you have no right.
That girl you just made derogatory comments to,
Doesnt want you.
She didn't dress in any way for you.
Although it probably doesn't shake her,
As young girl she's had heard it too
When I fall, I fall into sleep,
When I sleep, I sleep in peace.
When in peace, I think of violence,
Violence that leaves my voice hoarse.
The strange thing though, when in sleep,
The power of poetry is incredible.
To pick up a tool and paper and decide,
I will change something,
with words...
is extremely powerful.
Humans have the ability to communicate,
The Trinity
VICTIM
I stand alone.
I stand unheard, unnoticed.
I am on my own.
And the world cannot see.
Confined to space and time am I
And I cannot try
College Ruled Paper (But NEVER Wide Ruled.)
There's a call for change, for warmth, for compassion
But you can only find these through blood colored ink on paper
In a quagmire of misery the girl wallows.
Her feminism a bitter pill to swallow.
It’s a man’s world, so a man’s code she should follow,
Is a lie they tell her and if only the society would allow,
I have been around and I have seen a lot.
And many a time I have been to the ballot.
Sometimes when I am looking around,
I see their ignorance being spoken out loud.
Someone else's battle is different from mine.They've been through struggles I can't face.And I've been through struggles they can't face.That doesn't give me any rights.
Can I Sense What the Physical Eye Cannot Detect ?
By: Alesiya Walker
When a heart pleads for love,
Over where the family sits and enjoys the company they share;Sweet melodies are sung by flowers of the past:the horrors that happened there.Unknowingly they carry on-not one asks what occurred.
Surrounded by a novel immorality
sometimes I feel as if I’m living as a casualty.
Merely just another being on this earth
know there’s more to my life than what I think it’s really worth.
Pretty brown skin, girl you know those boys love you
They say you have a “fat ass” so you should show them all a little something
No need for modesty, just show your body, be sexy
Dear Allison,
Our mother gave us this name.And I want a clean slate.I'm not sure if I'm supposed to apologize.I look in this mirror, staring at you, wiping our eyes.
I sing the rhythm of the night. The possessions I own are shared with those I love, and theirs are also mine.
"All Special Needs kids need to burn in hell"
I laughed.
It's funny when education is wasted on people like this boy.
I laughed.
It's funny how he is so ignorant to his own flaws that are shamed deep within his mind
A vote is the 19th amendment
It is the shield for my mother, my sister, and my aunt
It is the yellow stars that fall upon me
It is the bruises that have been formed
The blood that has been lost
Your existence is never trivialYour sins are always forgivableYour crimes are all permissibleNo matter how despicableYou’ll never be held accountable
I'm right, you're wrong.
And I have every right to write that I'm right, because I'm not wrong
You say we are selfish
That we are spoiled and it's eating youth.
You say that it's hard, that we should just learn the truth.
When you were in our positions, what's it feel like to cough 24/7?
Isn’t it awesome, that rivers are forever?
They are forever, and yet you will never stand in the same river twice,
The river is a new being and packs a punch like a spice.
Isn’t it awesome, how as humans we have grown?
You are either a girl or a boy, and that's it, right?You can be one or the other, not both and not neither.That's what I've been told, and I try to believe it with all my might,But I know how I feel, you don't.
All animals feel pain
Primates make different faces for different emotions
Dogs remember who you are when you walk through the door
Dolphins are known to communicate with each other
Step into their shoes
Take a step, and a walk
For you shall learn how they
Could never talk
Those across the streets
Thought differently
To their defeat,
#twitter is my biggest distraction
#distracted
Your being distracted
Hypnotized by hashtags memorized by the masses old slaves to the new master
The media is trying to make a fool out of us
My bones were feeble
My breath had weathered
My voice can be heard as a bare, cracked whisper
And I listen at how fragile we are...
For which my lungs, they were thirsty for air
Curtains are drawn at night,
To shield our fragile minds
From obscurities
Mute outside.
Half are opaque,
Half are translucent.
Variety feeds the filters
"Feminism" is taking over, and wow, they have a point.
Men can do what women do and women do as men.
But is it really feminism...
When we tell a girl that she ought to wear pants
Americans claim to be free,
But are we truly free when the gender inside does not match with the on on the outside?
Americans claim to have rights,
As the government cleans itself, it sees what is outside itself as more dirty.
Can you hear the sound of the world calling your name?
Can you hear your heart talking to your brain to make sure you are awake?
Can you hear your name being called repeatedly by those around you?
Cause I can't
they look at me and all agree
they think im a stuck up white girl
like, "she probably gets all her shit for free"
ive got blonde hair, blue eyes.
and my skintone is real white
Bricks flying like they were granted the gift of wings
The smell of smoke fill my lungs and they sting
The looting wont stop till the metaphorical fat women sings
Chaos is the theme music for this up rising.
Bricks flying like they were granted the gift of wings
The smell of smoke fill my lungs and they sting
The looting wont stop till the metaphorical fat women sings
Chaos is the theme music for this up rising.
Is it because the color of my skin that makes me different from you
Blind to the fact, that statement is not true
Living in a society with stereotypes that's suppose to be clues
I wake up to a sea of white.
Is this what society is preparing me for?
Being marginalized as "that black girl".
I expected more.
Perhaps my standards were too high,
Even though people think that they have the right to kill animals,
Even if they think that animals provide us with what we need,
Expressing how I feel
sometimes confuse me a great deal
Can I understand myself?
Or better yet can you?
I dont always say what I feel
But when I do I keep it real
Anywhere any place
I'm an artist, freed from logic,
An idealist, un-tied to politics,
I'm a writer, a leader, but no cheater,
I'm a finder, not a keeper.
No one can tie me, I'm a fighter, not a lover,
Breath and think.
Breath and don't think.
Release your feelings in words that are not spoken.
Do not be tempted to anger as who you are.
You are better than the hateful thoughts that plague your mind.
Stop...Pause...and Think...
Theres some thing about a womans beng
There something about the way she thinks
The way she sees
You can't tell me God isn't real
Just look at these beautiful queens
Dear God,
This is a letter from your queer daughter.
Wait, hold up did this girl just say queer?
"You are not a child of God!" Someone shouts!
Oh shut up! This is my letter.
Anyway you know I grew up in church
"Patience", she said,
As she whispered in my ear.
All being's trials start here.
She drew me a map
And left me alone.
"If you want,
come follow me here."
With tears in my eyes,
She was jogging late one evening As every night she did Aware not of the treachery That falling darkness hid
Life is like a game of chest, so play it well. Love is like a game of cards, and some can't deal. My favorite cards used to be the ace and the joker but switched the game up, no longer playing poker. Threw out all the clubs.
Seven continents in the world.
Billions of men, women, boys, and girls.
Humanity is what connects us with all.
Race should not act as a wall.
Separation and discrimination starts dividing
Here we come, a busy people
trotting to and fro.
You’d never guess;
we hardly let it show.
In fact, I say, neither would they.
They can’t tell, themselves.
We’re blind and dumb,
Poetry, short shtories, novels
I write as a release, as a love
I write like it's my personal gospel
Because it's my reality I'm aiming to be free of
My mind is it's own cinema, a library
Everyday I'm living, going through the motions without any devotions, trying to fly but cannot deny it's hard to live and it's hard to fight
Back.
I want to talk about Black Entertainment Television.
To discuss and describe the implements of incidents
that my people look up to as stardom.
We turn on the television to find our favorite male rap artist,
Growing up I only had to fear the men in white hoods, to stand against the power of the truly colored people.
Steeper up the steeple the bells ring
Chanting the enchanted hymns and songs no longer sacred
What we do hear, here in the chapels, the mosques, the synagogues
Is lust of temptations
Who are you?
Who are you to call me names?
Who are you to be so rude?
Why am I the blame?
Politicians
They think they know everything
War in the Middle East?
More Bombs
Economy in Crisis?
Bailouts and an excuse
Unemployment at decades high percentage?
I remember the lady remembering her first son
She taught him his first word, his first step turned run.
His first tear, how she’d stop to kiss it
I see rainbows burst through the sky
And have the sudden urge to run and cry
They all laugh and they say, "dont even try"
And I say, "oh why, god, why?"
Sometimes I think its better to lie
Enter head on, in your binding.
So called companionship, misinterprets
For; contract.
For it will be a "duty" and "privilege".
if only everyone knew
if only everyone had their experiences
if only everyone understood
if only, if only.
Flaming red eyes, torn clothes at the thighs, and cuts and bruises that seemed to multiply, but still their lips whisper in sync
" She lies! She lies! "
But she only tells the truth
She is only but a youth
Why can a man walk free
down the street, without a care
in the world, and a pep
in his feet? But a woman must
leer, must live in a constant fear
that a man's touch or sneer
Every Friday and Saturday
You go and drink
You go and dance
You go and loose your mind
Being far from home
Far from rules
Far from reality
Far from truth
Gay. G. A. Y.
G as in "God hates you."
A as in "abomination."
Y as in "Why haven't you killed yourself yet?"
"There's nothing to be afraid of!" they say
"It doesn't matter that you're gay."
Where am I?
The question we always ask. Trapped in a box wearing just a gas mask.
Let me out. I can barely breathe.
I want to be me, but you don’t fucking agree?
We're expected to not go out alone at night,
to close our legs,
be feminine,
submissive,
The truth cannot hurt me
for I am strong at ones will,
for I am not weak upon my own thrill.
You will not bring me down,
and I will not be brought down-
without a fight.
In the short lapse between life and death, an individual is taught by society who to love and how to act.
It angers me that so many people follow what they are told.
I can do a push-up.Not the modified, girl kind;The "boy" ones, with my feet and all.But this is not a poem about me.
Oh, you hate men? Why would you be a feminist? All guys aren't like that..That's so unfair.
It's dark and alone in here
But I still bite my tongue because it's better
I don't mind the spiders and ghouls
The reward means so much greater
I would rather be what I am not
To please my own kin
She takes flight.
All the light in those babydoll eyes.
Broken.
Soars away from these hardships.
Tender hands burned.
In this seemingly painless discuise.
Don't leave me in the darkness.
Why should I have to prove myself?
Must it be the silk of my skin that defines me
Must it be the way that my locks tumble down the curves of my hips
And all our lives we are measured by our grades
The story of a corrupt society
The alcoholic priest preaches about sobriety
Religion brainwashing people
Children sexually abused in the steeple
Just listen
And listen to me good.
Hang on to every word I’m about to say.
Because I really mean it.
Don’t take it as a joke
But really understand what I feel.
Who Are You
Who are you to tell me,
A person of my own being,
Who I can or cannot be?
I am a living person,
With my own rights,
Thoughts, and feelings.
How dare you, someone
Eighteen score years ago, a cradled crying baby - who was given an enlightened path - was born
If I could change something
what would I do?
Would I make a new building
or create a zoo?
No I would change something more important
The life of a child
One who is unspoken
In the Great Book, it says not to judge. Yet we do,
Everyday.
We are taught as kids to live by the Great Ten Rules. Yet,
In 7th grade, I knew I was gay
I didn't think it was normal
Not to be straight
So I cut up my skin
And took a lot of drugs
I drank a lot of alcohol
And gave lots of boys hugs
I’m crying.
Right now I’m crying.
The salty sorrows slowly sinking
Caused because of too much thinking
Ten-fold more as I start blinking
Crying sadly so.
I’m screaming.
Carrotsticks.
Carrotsticks to invisible pink unicorns.
Carrotsticks to alien beings in your head.
Carrotsticks to spirits.
Carrotsticks to flying spaghetti monsters.
Carrotsticks to Olympian Gods.
Stand up and hear the cries
With anguish they cry,
With despair they suffer,
With hope they hold on,
Hear them cry.
In haven, she is broken,
From a small town in Wyoming there’s very little to do,
Except dream up a life much bigger than you.
Two eight-year-old boys meet.
One of ebony skin,
One of cream.
After hours of frog-catching at the park,
Their fathers see, and take them apart.
Why can't we be friends?
Waking up in a room,
With not even a pair of shoes.
They stripped me down,
Took me from my town,
And here I awaited my doom.
This dream that haunted me often
Sean realized at a young age
Other boys were not quite the same
He wasn’t on the same page
No one was to blame
He was so estranged
He felt naught but shame
Gay. Straight. Bisexual.
Why do we need these names?
So what you're a girl who happens to like a girl?
So what you're a girl who happens to like a boy?
I turn on the news
Rape, murder, missing
Those words have become boring to me
A black boy has been shot
The white man who killed him goes home free
Bullshit
What has this world come to?
A generation pressured by society
A society driven by expectations and decisions
Decisions that restrain us like animals to a cage
A cage that strips what little freedom we were given
So you want to change?
I do.
It seems so easy
So there
So right
Right?
If I could change anything
It would be perception
Myself
My Community
The world?
We forget the words of equality that once were said,
In the fight for Civil Rights blood once stained the roads red.
First it was women, then it was blacks.
Round and round we went and now we're back.
I love her with all of my heart.
My broken, mangled, crumbling organ of love.
I want to show her off,
To hold her hand and kiss her in front of more then God above.
But my family's strict.
The stars; so far yet so near.
Though impossible, I can feel their soft whispers through the night.
Rippling in my ear, each has a story to tell,
A story of the beginning, the now, and the end.
What would I change?
What would I do to fix this broken earth?
What would I do to recreate the humanity that has been lost through the years?
What can one person do?
Bold Dark presenceWreaks its havocAmongst the people,Poison’d human Morality,Degraded by Brutality,Guarded from Equality,Caged by harmful Mentality.
If I could change, just anything
I would change the way love is viewed.
Some say marriage can only be between a man and a woman,
But who are they to judge?
Ever since I was a little girl I was told to make something of myself
To be a leader, and do my best to be the best me I could be
All I knew was happiness, school, and doing good by my family
Raise your hand,If you’ve ever wondered whyPeople like you are rarely seenIn shows and movies.
Human Rights?
What can one say about human rights?
What about those who don't have a light?
A persons a person no matter how small,
If I could change the world,
we would all be a little more understanding.
If I could chane the world,
there would be a litte less struggling.
If I could change the world,
We spend billions of dollars to protect our country, but what's the point if behind the walls is a land that's crumbling?
I go to school in a melting pot
I thought I was the majority but now I think not
I am now the minority at school not that is matters
It took me two years to notice it and my brain isn't scattered
How can you look at me and say
that I,
snow that comes on a Christmas Eve, sweeping with the wind's influence,
have more power, more beauty, more right to be on this earth
To my future daughter
You will know that you are a queen from the moment you are concieved till you rest your head against the silk linen of your eternal crib
You think because you have placed your hand ever so lightly on my thigh
without a flinch
that you can touch me like that?
My eyes never begged for more
only my heart yearned to be felt...not my body
Lay down your head my childI promise things will be better when your eyes openAnd when the night becomes dayWe will still be together forever and always
When I was a child, I wanted to be a dancer.
Twenty hours a week, ice packs and recitals.
Dreaming of a stage with a full house and applause
But what I was missing, was working towards a cause.
Forward.
Look at me and tell me
I didn’t fight for my rights.
Because twenty-four hours seems more like twelve rounds
And some days the bell doesn’t sound.
Their blood runs through my veins
when the door closes that's when the clock stop, that's when his mind take control, to all those who don't know he's speaking in ways only some will fully know while others stare blankly and you just continue to go no stops or brakes not even a
They say we are Free,
But are we?
They say we have Rights,
But do we?
They say we have Money,
But where is it?
They say we have enough food,
But is there?
We are not Free,
All I see is violence
All I hear are lies
All I want is happinness
All I get is hatred
Untames and Untainted
They hate me
And at times I hate them
All I want is a chance
Their Eyes are on the Door (The Gay Scene)
Their eyes were on the door of clubs like Casablanca, where they wait to judge.
They clutter together like leaves stuck in a drain, old ways refusing to budge.
All men are created equal
Equal meaning what?
Try and try again
Give ME the definition
Education will cure the cause of hate.
Everyone should try to inform the rest.
We can try to erase ignorance from the worlds full slate.
Then we can really address the real cause of this mess.
A walk down the hall, all I feel is change.
Out of all the years, this one won't be the same.
New principal, more freshmen, a new set of rules.
My teachers wonder why it's like I'm never in school.
Skittles,
Multicolored Candy that's Sweet to the Teeth
Mingle with blood on the concrete floor
Of an innocent boy
Whose color didn't match his murderer
So why didn't we war
On a gluttonous bigot,
The future is unknown to anyone.
All we can hope for is the best,
Until this short life is done.
Blue, brown, hazel eyes of all earthly guest
We,
The people of America, who fought for
Liberty, Freedom, and Equality,
Continue to live in a world full of discrimination.
“Are
You sure?”
I see people walking byAnd I wonder what it's likeDo they see what I seeWhen they look at you with meThen I think of what I'd sayIf they ever asked why I feel this way
Yeah, I'm white
Never Been in a fight
But my dream is to knock out some lights
Talkin' 'bout dreams,
one-a mine's to be free
Ya see, my parents lock me down with a key
Yo, little do you know about me
A fairy is real when a child is young,
A belief is what that idea is among,
Everyone believes in something,
Societal change is what beliefs can bring.
Religion is something one cannot escape,
You who never cease, Breaking the heart of another
keep taking another piece, as if it wasn't a bother.
night and day goes by, as that child you bully,could very we'll die.
By: Saranda R
Our flag waves in the ocean of pride that envelopes this country
With its economic strides and setbacks that we criticize
Adding to the problem, not developing a solution
Times are changing,
That’s no question.
The world we live in is constantly spiraling,
And we have been told it’s up to us to shape it into something we would want to live in.
This room keeps spinning all around me,
Is this darkness or is this light?
There is no where to turn to no where to hide,
Going through the same motions everyday can this be right?
So we have rights
We have the right to life and liberty, to the pursuit of happiness
The right to worship however we like
to freedom of speech and expression
Sure we have some rights, and they make us who we are
Oh. Thick girls?
They are better than Big girls.
Big girls are like big.
Thick Girls are just better
Said everyone.
Big girl
Big girl
No loves you they said, lose weight they tell me
Brainwash the children of the nation
with songs by Drake
omg becky look at her butt
you only live once
dripping with misogyny
stupid sayings
strangle our minds into believing
The sweet reverie of a little girl in a Cinderella dress
Does not hold a demise
For no person shall attempt to withhold her
She has imagination creativity innocence virtue
Let her twirl
Eyes connect
Shoulders rolling back
Chest puffed out
Plump lips of pure crimson
Curling up in a seductive grin
Beckoning that I come closer
And closer still
Breath quickening
"...and we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men were created equal..."
1776; It was a constitutional statement that society swore under the honor of god
But isn't it odd
They walk around scared and when we come near they give us odd stares
when really we should be the ones with fear
when the coppas roll around the gun us down outta no where
You see things with envy, through your holy,and pure eyesAnything different, you simply despise“One must live proper, a man and his wife”We’d love to live peacefully, hopeful and true
The bell rings. The anouncements come on.
THAT has been our morning every day of the school year, for the past 3 years.
Now we're seniors, and I still see this sad, sad routine.
It's everyday nowI'm always the targetI didn't ask to be gay, it just happened.They always torment me, "You're gonna go to hell."He pushed me into the back corner"I can make you straight"
White or black
what difference does it make?
we are both skins
that we did not create
the color we walk in
is our own
the only thing that we can embrace
is making us known
of who we are
Walking down the street
Its more than a dream
Its the reality that makes my soul want to jump out of me
What I see is a frightening sight
All different faces but no difference inside
In theory I never knew the weight of the hoodie.
Contrast in its color as it grapes over my skin.
Indeed I was mightier with the cape over my lens.
Strolling pastimes, my ears were shuttled by noise.
They Told Us
They told us that things were complicated,
But in the same breath they declared it was all just
Black and White.
They told us that when Reverend King climbed up
This is a money hungry nation and without it you can't succeed,
People havin to suffer for things they need,
Yet the priveleged prosper from their greed,
I'm stuck in quicksand while the rich go full speed,
these red viscous drops
that paints our banner's stars and straps
fake smiles and all these props
it spreads like chicken pox
and it cant be contained or put in a box
obvious to the trained mind
How can you have hate
For the color of my skin
I've done nothing wrong
Is me living life a sin
I'm a person, a human
Like each and every one of you
I've done nothing to harm
I dream of the glistening glare as I look up into the sun.
I dream of the limber grass bending as I touch.
I dream of my little boy making a homerun.
Is this all too much?
Yet, you still ask me if I could see
Tattered and torn.
Beaten and scorned.
Rejected, neglected,
Abandoned when born.
Surrender and yield;
Potential concealed.
Abused, misused
Wounded, now healed.
Underestimated.
One day I’ll liberate my soul; my own mishaps have created the insecurities that soon will fade away into a cloud of dust.
Let us coexist and intertwine
I want to fall into you,
I want to be you.
I am you.
I am just like you,
you are just like me.
We are not twins,
but brothers.
You are part of me
Lost without an identity
Anticipation and resentment
Where will I go from here?
Names, faces, and a language that I do not understand
My face is a plastic smile
Behind the façade,
They.
I.
You.
Me.
Them.
Us.
We.
You are not YOU.
You are They.
They are Us.
They want you.
They want Me...
They want Us.
You want Me to be 'Us'
The kids of the future
Havin fun, laughing away
Don't know a single damn thing in the world
Crys and have someone to hold them
Grow to become man or into woman
So basic minded!
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }
Oh, Internet!
How I love thee -
Your world wide web
And plethora of information
Constantly distracts me.
I can talk to many friends,
I can read about the news,
When I was younger
I would sit in the back of the classroom without saying a single word
My teacher would always call on me
Let’s take a journey through time:
An unborn nation,
Develops from thievery, greed, and opportunistic visions…
Swish, swish, swish…
In search for new territory.
Bang, bang, bang…
She's beautiful.She drinks, smokes and parties all night every time she can,No one has truthfully told her she's beautiful, She thinks she's not worth it,
These words were never meant to fall upon death ears
These words were meant for battle
These words were meant for war
NO, we will not stand by and let our voices be silenced
This is for the child, So young, Who thinks his parents don't care. Who sits up all night wondering, And hoping he'll do them well. This is for the girl, So scared, beaten and abused.
We are women,
Whether complicated or submissive we take things to a whole other level
We are women
understand me
don't overlook me
yet some people prefer to underestimate me
but i'm over that
she's misunderstood
she wants to be Ms. Understood
but she has really bad relationship issues
understand me
don't overlook me
yet some people prefer to underestimate me
but i'm over that
she's misunderstood
she wants to be Ms. Understood
but she has really bad relationship issues
In a universe
That exists today
Inevitably will obliterate
For this too shall pass away
A kingdom stretching across the sphere
Authority’s on different feet
PrejudiceHateSo wrongWhat gives you the rightTo decide who I love?What gives you the rightTo detest me for my differences?What tells you that it's okayYou tell me I'll never be loved
Though I'm a woman I know that I am freeThe constitution is alive,a river flowing from sea to shining sea.and despite the fact I'm under 18I know it's not because of my skin that I can't vote,
they scream "we're not drunk enough!"
so I give them the golden liquor of death
150 proof and an extra bottle of gin to control their djinns
some ginseng on top so they sing sweetly
Many are against what makes me me.
Usually a pair of converse with cargo pants.
A random hoodie that covers this head
That holds these pretty cheap shades.
The way I talk,
How my voice projects.
Innocence and IgnoranceThey are both the same kindIt's sort of like the less you knowThe better you can understand It definitely won’t work for schoolBut what about a life lesson?
A life lesson
Every hour of
Every day through
All the years
One question twirled through
My mind
What am I?
And on the
Twelfth hour of
A random day I
Stereotypes reach farther corners than simply gender, race and sexuality,
but who would ever even think of starting a revolution for a group of kids that aren’t taken seriously?
What happening to the world we live in...
As we turn on the news, their goes a child killed by the offcials that are suppose to protect us.
Shoutout to the people who are always themselves,
who stay true to orginality not caring who else,
is paying attention to way the look or the way they act,
and like having a life thats not staying on one simple track,
Of the darkness
emerging from
our souls, beyond
threshold of
the black mire
falling
headfirst
into the pits
dying, our souls
I don’t want to know how to win, I only want to know how to grow.
We swear that the tumor only grows on the Devil, but it grows on our Land.
Her soul was ripped of it’s property and we are ripped of our choice.
why can something so small make craters in our soul?
will We ever find it?
maybe it was sold
with the baggage of Hate
carried away by Mistake.
I knew a girl once who got called boy more times than she could count
each time it brought tears to her eyes liked she’d never amount
to their glorified expectations
horrified by her image in the mirror
He said to me "like lungs without air"
that moment I realized we felt the same hurt
I tried to keep my air but it escaped the minute you left
its as if nothing as moved on.
Time still stands
Smiles still bright
Don't you know we're all the same?
Skin and bones, a heart and a name.
We're living life for a purpose together
So who is to say whether
Any love is right or wrong
We come out weak, but we're trying to be strong
I am always with you
In your head, In your soul
You are so full of light
But I am nothing but darkness
Near the bottom of our system
Ignorance exists, and its consequences are prevalent.
Out of sight out of mind only hinders our development,
When negligence is evident from the government’s irrelevance,
To the clouds, hawk says,
"You are what I dreamed to have!
My soft and white bed!"
Society, Society, Society
It whispers in my ear
Leaves it stings
And never fails
Using me as its target
Like a storm hovering over a barren land
Tears fill this boy’s hands
They burn like coals on fire
Fueled by words of hate and ire
(poems go here) Children, by standers, marathon runners, and victims of Boston:
You are strong.
Measure your strength not by wounds or scares,
Physically or mentally,
But by blessings counted.
They say to sit down,
want me to shut up.
They say I'm too young,
I can't know.
Tell me I'm ignorant,
I'm naive.
But I am experiencing,
right here, right now.
For all the little boys and girls who were told no
For all the teens who were told that their dreams aren’t good enough
For all the adults who could never live their dream
For anyone who never had the support they needed
So i've heard that all is fair in this thing of love in war.
But in reality people fight dirty, nothing is fair anymore.
Our love is stolen, sometimes never given back.
We give it away so much, we eventually lose track.
A Counsel Averting the Burning of Our World
By R. M. Otto
We who believe in freedom still can't rest,
Cause we who believe in freedom can not rest until it comes.
I'm no Maya Angelou, Mark Twain, or Emerson.
I don't yet know my dearest complaints, intents, or direction.
I've never been hurt so bad that I've been deeply pained,
I have, however, seen enough to know that we need change.
You pay women to dance, while your love is at home.
Two Viking babies asking when daddy is coming home.
How familiar is my name,
For daddy’s the one to blame...
Your ice cold look is really just a new flame.
He called her his whore,
his slut,
his own bitch to ride on,
like dogs.Prized only darkness,
like lights.
Abandoned in public,
like free-speech.
She wasn’t free,
she wasn’t light,
I'm ready to get out of this small minded town
people talk and preach but I never hear a sound
They ask me what I want to be when I become a man
Happy, but that's something they'll never understand
Four innocent gentlemen sat down to eat,
Approached by strangers, they would have never tried to meet.
Ordinarily the world sat back and watched
While all four of the persons were attacked, spit on, and mocked.
I want to feel how i did that day.
in the late nights of may.
I striped of the meat of chickens.
to barbque the meats.
Then I removed the feets.
I made good late night meals.
I’ve got a noose around my neck,
And a fire outside my door.
I’m about to dangle in my distress
I’m on the 107th floor.
They say:
Stay there, we’re coming.
We’ll be there soon and,
To have humility is to think less
Of ourselves ‘cause we are God’s creation
Red, yellow, black, white, tell that to the press
For the races received much damnation.
Injustice is still there we need prayers
My favorite color is gray.
Why? Gray is so boring, so neutral, so.. dead. Right?
Gray is what happens when you mix the polar opposites of
Black..
and White.
When you mix oppression with freedom,
(poems go here) On December 1st 1955,
Rosa Parks sat in the middle of a Storm,
And refused to move.
It was a Storm that had been covering America for decades,
Raining down malice,
They said we were free
From the chains and the whips,
Yet this is another
Kind of imprisonment.
No freedom at all,
To choose and to vote.
My voice is not heard
But rather ignored.
The cage is open
But not to free me.
To free me from the bonds
That once held my cellmate
Whom I expect now runs
Far away from the hate
They wanted to call us colored
But what did colored mean
To a population with crops dying
Radiation spewing across the sky
Changes from green to dead
And blue to hidden
We have been living amongst a misconception
Misconceived by those who decided to create the title “Black History Month”
Now I understand this title was created to celebrate historical figures
Black or white,
colors fade to gray,
we stand together,
United as one,
nothing can break determination,
no one can stop our stride,
equality is one small step,
What a shame, how we all were treated before,
False accusations, people judged the color of skin.
Our potential, needs, and feelings were forgotten, ignored,
Our worn and torn shoes, no one has thought to step in.
How many times a broken heart
Have to break before it stops to start?
How long when tears are cried and fears
Assigned will they continue to grind our minds
We hold to fear 'cause it makes sense
"Pull up the caboose," hiss'd Moses, moonlit
And fierce, the bandana like a red flag,
Signal of something si lent ly -"Don't drag!"-
Simmering in the blue night. Moses flit
Among the soot. White apron soon unfit
Every color in every nation
Let me enlighten you my friends
And share some inspiration
Opression on these streets were'nt built to last
Not every single person had the mind to grasp
I had a dream
Where a world was free
It never mattered who you are
but what you will become
I am fighting for a dream
where I can be free
It doesn't matter who I am
Just what I want to become
When people had to live with prejudice they couldn’t bear.
They did what it took to make America fair.
If one lost hope, another would pull them through
Not only for them, but for decedents too.
FREE AT LAST! FREE AT LAST!
Black America has been inspired
By these words from the past
But are we truly free?
This question puzzles me?
When our fellow brothers and sisters
Those eyes we see
We walk down the isle
All I can have is a simple smile
I know all the hostility we create
It does no matter
I still have her
All LGBTYQ
We All Love You.
Yank out the boundary and grip the independence.
Point out we can do whatever we want.
We the people, are trapped, but we attempt to grasp for the limitless
We try hard, sweat dripping down a scar, falling out of our palms.
People have fought to see the light
They have finally got their right
Now the future is bright
Like diamonds on a kite
The strings are tight
To never be ignite
Holding hands
is not an easy thing to do.
It’s nerve-racking for the timid,
and even more so for the different.
Everyday, every hour, every way I turn reminds me about
the days, the ways, the people who paved
this path so I can walk on
Clink...Clink...Clink
Can you hear them?
Clink...Clink...Clink
Can you see them?
Clink...Clink...Clink
Can you feel them?
Those chains
That everlasting bondage that keeps us unchanged
I wish on broken stars...
'cause those bright ones give off too much light,
too much light can be blinding and if i remember correctly
becoming blind was never on my bucket list so,
I settle for the dim ones instead.
Yesterday African Americans didn't have rights
Yesterday a white man standing up for a black man was wrong
Yesterday slaves were shipped across a ocean of pain
only to be greeted by a lifetime of suffering
Shouts in the streets again
My pulse wakes from its slumber
With all risings, it says "amen"
Oh Lord, just let me get home to feed my kids
We're all warm bodies,
put together in an artistic ways,
Our skin isn't what society embodies,
There were never any good ole days,
Shunned by society,
No love for Ebony and Ivory,
White men had the right,
Just pass a test,
And fill out the ballot,
But African Americans and women could not,
Why were we restricted?
Some say black,
Some say brown.
They call us monkeys,
Some still slaves.
They call us stupid and uneducated,
But really there is some irony in that.
Every day we wait
And wait, and wait
Wait for our truth
Our justice
Our rights
But they never come.
Media purports them
Politicians revoke them
But the people never receive.
Look at all these presidents,
They're all the same kind of gentlemen.
Wearing their suits and ties.
I wonder where are their wives.
Sitting at home?
Perhaps, I don't know
Because they can't tag along.
Brown, yellow , black , white
There just colors no need to fight
We are all equal in every way
So I am writing this poem because I am here to say
That freedom is a gift you see
Beaten, battered and broken
Through hell and back,
We stay alive,
The torture, the hate and lack of respect
From Emmitt Till to Rosa Parks,
They endured, they fought!
[We fight and we live
we strive and we cry.]
to live in a world so cold
so brave so frightful
so full.
Of Color [we sigh and
we hide and we hate.]
to live in a world of hopes
and dreams
Little do we know,
A Civil Rights Movement
Is happening right now.
During these times,
Protestors remain silent,
Hiding in shadows.
Paralyzed by fear
Of being snatched
Away from family.
Equal people, same in hand and face,
but outcast quickly when not the chosen race.
Die for beliefs that should self explain,
that treatment you beg for, hope to gain.
Scream and battle with tooth and fist,
“We shall overcome,” he said. His eyes held strength as he gripped the podium.
And spoke to the crowds of mothers, brothers, sisters, fathers and sons.
I've overcome…
From the whips and chains..
I've overcome…
From the bitter taste and sinking pains..
I've overcome…
From the shackles and wounds that burn all day..
I've overcome…
It's like this
so quickly we miss
what things we try to remember
the things we have forgotten
and so I look on over the lives of those age has forgotten
Falling.
The fresh taste of blood salts my lips.
Rage. How dare I dream about a future that may never come?
For dreams bring the pain, despair of hope.
Hope for the better.
Anything better.
I do not wear the same skin as youbut our struggles, they are similar.You see, while you are outcastfor the way you look, the color of yourouter shell; I am turned away for whom I love.
Back in the ‘60’s the movement began
From Memphis to Selma the freedom trains ran
Rallies and demos the fires did fan
As civil rights came into focus
A cry arose from the crowd
Then came another
A sister, a brother
Shouting above to be heard, be proud
What is truth? What is justice?
Turns are taken
Voices shaken
You, they, are equally us!
How naive are we to believe that the civil rights movement is over?
Is it because we can all vote for our presidents?
Because no black man has to fear a master, running away from the screams?
Together let’s play a game,
A game of Checker’s with two colors,
With squares both equal and same.
America
Land of the Free, Home of the Brave,
The Land of the Depraved and Enslaved
Where voting is a universal right fought for by centuries of plight
Imagine a world where no one cares how you look like.
Imagine a world full of peace where everyone loves you, for who you are,
Whether you are gay, colored, or believe in a certain religion.
I look around at the world of which I'm a part of,
and then I always ask a simple question:
Where is all the love?
I cannot be at peace when people are not free.
This is not how we were meant to be.
W…I…I…F…M…
Can’t this acronym be a problem?
What’s In It For Me?
Not ‘she’, not ‘he’, not ‘we’ but ME
I want to be the smile that spreads across your face.
I want to be the one that no one can replace.
I want to be your dreams when your sleeping alone at night.
It doesn't matter if they think it's wrong or right.
When you leave, please,
Leave the world better than when you found it.
Everyone deserves worthy health
And to be cared for, but it doesn’t always happen.
If you want it, ask for it,
And more than once.
dear 1960's:
wish i couldve been there.
inagurated john f kennedy
killed marilyn monroe
martin luther king speech
veitnam war.
cuban missile crisis
first walmart
john f kennedy assasinated
If I have freedom of religion,
Why am I ostracized for my beliefs?
Why do people argue with me?
And try to sway me to their side
When I say I do not believe in God.
If I have a freedom of speech,
