It seems I’ve heard every word
At least every one spoken before I was alive
It’s the fashion that makes the difference
The style of a hat
With a satin band
It can make you remember a word for decades

But who can write with immediacy
You need help
You need it now
Would it be too late
Or too detached

You took the time to write it down
Think about it
It’s an intervention
But it’s not the same as grabbing them by the shoulders

Fear is the prophecy of your own weakness
You wonder if it could be true
Something will happen
Something bad
But is it a warning
Or an inevitability

The clarity of being a true victim cannot be imitated
And the moment before it happens is even worse
Because anything is possible
Any degree of crushing defeat
Even death
But what if it was right
Should you walk on by?

Let someone else say it

Let them say being oppressed is wrong
Let them say being treated unfairly is wrong
Let them say being displaced is wrong
Let them say being made to feel less than human is wrong

Let them say  it

Because it takes anger not to care about yourself
And you’re not angry
Not like that

Selfishness is the mirror of comfort
Having the time to take your picture all day
To think about your weekend
Where you should go
Anything like that
And that is the way I think

It disgusts me

But I made my choice to be careful
I’ve moved beyond feeling blessed
They reached me
It doesn’t seem to mean anything anymore
At least not for anyone except me

And maybe my children

Would it better for them
If I was arrested
If I was tortured
If I  was assassinated

What would I tell God if I died with a smile on my face?

He said life is not a conscience that is satisfied