Poetry

This is My Face 
An average face it is indeed 
Asymmetrical
Nothing outstanding or striking 
Neither beautiful nor hideous
Just a face 
My face

This is my skin 
Scarred golden goodness 
To some, too light 
To others, too dark 
To me, it’s just as shell… except… except that it’s not
Not in this world 
In this country
It’s a sign
A flag 
A lightening rod for 
snap judgements, stereotyping and bigotry

These are my lips
Luscious and full
A proud nod to my stolen heritage 
Holding back screams 
As I helplessly witness
The agony of my people 
MY people
My fellow blacks 
My fellow women
My fellow Muslims

These are my eyes
Heavy-lidded and tired 
Oh the tears these eyes have cried
Over so many things 
Both great and small
Feeling the pain of others as if it were my own 
Oh how I ache

This is my mind 
That worries day and night 
Knowing
That my brothers could literally have been John Crawford III…
That they still can be…
Carelessly taken out by the Boys in Blue
because of misinformation and discrimination

This is my heart 
That races 
Skips beats
Stops
With the fear and anxiety 
That my nephews…
My baby boys 
Could have literally been 
Tamir Rice 
Could still be…
A bright young light snuffed out far too soon
By those who vowed to protect and serve us
Or Trayvon Martin
A victim of hate and racial profiling
My babies aint safe..
My babies aint safe..

This is my soul 
That aches and trembles
Knowing that my mother 
Nieces
My sisters
Are harassed 
Assaulted 
Set on fire
Because their modest dress triggers something so inhumane inside the hearts of mindless drones, indoctrinated and uneducated by the mass media regurgitating different versions of the same lies

This is my faith
That has never abused nor oppressed me 
That has never stifled nor restricted me
Because I am blessed to know the difference 
Between culture and religion 
The only oppression I have ever felt is at the hands of the very country I call my home 
America

This is my home 
My country 
And while they, in their ignorance,
might like to think they can deport me
Jeer at me to “go home”
They are too blinded by my covered body 
And their own hate to realize 
I am home 
The blood, sweat and tears of my slave and indigenous ancestors have irrigated the very soil they walk upon

This is my life
I don’t know where I am 
Or where I’m going 
But I’m am not lost 
In a world filled 
with confusion 
Fear
Hate
Anger
And sadness
I shall rise 
Fight 
And overcome

This is my life 
This is my face 

Monster

Look at you!

Some provider and protector

Destroying the vision of happy ever after

What kind of man makes women and children their victim

And all the lies that you’ll change,

I see right through them

How you gonna stand here and say that you love her?

Boy back up now or Im going down for your murder!

Happily!

Yes, I said happily

Because it’s crazy it see

that after we

Allowed you the priviledge of being in this family

You spit all over a once in a lifetime opportunity

Keep trying to play innocent

Twisting scripture to your benefit

Conceal your faults?

Psh,

maaan im telling it

You aint nothing but a hypocrite

Thinking you a king but you pauper

Dont worry imma make sure

that your sons have more to offer

You are

all the worst qualities of men stitched together and

brought to life

Youre a monster

But you thought that you could keep your wife

Im tryin to snap you out of your delusion

Was hoping for the best

But it was all an illusion

Smoke and mirrors

Rabbits out of hats

Had everybody fooled

I’ll give you credit for that

You are the closest ive come to hating something or someone

But a person filled with anger

You wont make me become

So carry on

Carry on brotha

Carry on

You cant come home now

Cuz home is gone

Yeah you slipped up one to many times

But thank you

for inspiring

these rhymes.