I am the pit viper of poetry.
Syllables slam where ignorance lies,
The sound of education
Like fire,
How to lower an ego and raise up humanity.
I am both Lover and Fighter,
Medic and Boxer,
Words like a balm
Designed to soothe the suffering of others.
All pain is shared, easier to bear together,
And yet,
I reserve a specific set of sharp syllabic power
When it comes to defiance of empathic deficiency.
My words will stop a heart in a poet attack,
Locate the seams and examine the crack
To expose what is wrong with society,
Foster a sense of compassionate understanding.
And then, with gentleness,
I invite them to join me.
As a poet,
I have a responsibility to illuminate both the beautiful and
Ugly,
Resuscitate long buried emotions,
Bring love AND prejudice into the open,
And then heal them with human connection.
It is not a small weight to carry,
And so I,
I reserve the right to my fire,
The occasional sharp tongue to cut through the *******,
But then you will find tenderness
To remind everyone:
Even in darkness you are never alone.