A poet is courageous
The voice of truth
Pulling away the veil
Helping those who listen
Realize that the lies
Like two left sided shoes
Will make it easy
To walk in circles
A poet is courageous;
A poet is courageous
When he or she speaks to
Their own personal journey
You see-
I could spew angry indifference as
Newspaper headlines and
Main stream media
Incite hopelessness and despair
So, unless you have walked
Alongside tuberculosis ridden
children of Haiti and
Held on to a tiny little hand
That grew tired of
Holding on to hope
As they fade into yesterday..
Speak your truth!
Until you know the sound
Of mortar or artillery fire
When it rains down upon
A village and
Topple its houses like
A deck of cards;
The sound of bricks
Turning to rubble
As lives crumble
Hope lost in the
Particles of dust that
Linger within the smoke that
Dances amongst the
Deafening silence of
The innocent.
Speak your truth!
Speak of that which
Has tested your resolve
That which when revisited
Takes you to that place where
Love picked up the broken pieces
That once made up your life,
That place where-
Hurt tore through every
Fiber of your being as you
Drowned in your tears
Speak of that place where.
Hope finally gave you
The strength to
Write through the pain or
Pic up a mic and
Watch everyone hang on to
Your every word as
You feel that lump in
Your throat makes
Your voice crack
And your palms sweat because,
The reciting of a poem has
Become a recounting of
Of a story that
Is life
Your life
Out on display.
A poet is courageous
The voice of truth
Show us that
Taking off the veil
Allowed you to see
Our two left sided shoes
So then maybe Poet
Just maybe,
We may all-
Stop walking in circles......