Dear… you,

Whoever you may have been is lost now.
Like a tide carrying away a clam, your fate was taken from you.
Was it gentle, like a beach wave lapping at a tourist’s toes?
Was it violent, like a riptide carrying a surfer out to sea?

I wonder what kind of pearl might have been hidden in that clamshell.
Was it beautiful, full of shimmering possibility and light?
Was it warped, shaped and formed uniquely to match you?
The world may not have liked the pearl, concealed by two halves of a whole.

But I think I would have. I think that sparkly gem would even be my favorite.  
Made unlike any other, its color, shape, size, weight, and beauty would make it
perfect, perfect for me. I would cherish that pearl, wear it around my neck. Like a medal, it would rest between my *******, shining in unison with my imperfect teeth.

But you are not a pearl. You are not anything. You could have been so much, and I would give all that I’ve done, all that I am, all that I know, to see who you would be.
If only I could… You could be so happy here. I’m sorry that chance was taken from you.
I took that chance away from you. Well, it wasn’t only me; it wasn’t a decision I made.

These are just excuses. I can’t undo what has been done, but please know I am sorry.

With love that was saved just for you,
A Mother Figure but Never a Mother

Ask not what your country can do for you,
ask yourself:
Do you feel lucky, punk? Huh, do yuh?

I have a dream that one day,
on the red hills of Georgia,
little black boys and black girls will join hands
with little white boys and white girls
and...What we have here is failure to communicate..

...black lives matter ...like a thief in the night ...
We shall fight them on the beaches, we shall fight them on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender...

Four score and seven years ago
our forefathers brought forth upon this continent
a new nation, conceived in liberty
and dedicated to the proposition that...
...you can't handle the truth  ! ...

The only thing we have to fear...
is one small step for man,
one giant leap for...
weapons of mass destruction.

We hold these truths to be self-evident,
all men are created...
to...  say it. I said, 'I’ve been sayin’ that **** for years.' They deserved to die, and I hope they burn in hell.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Then He said...
I’ll be back.

Thou shalt not...
tear down this wall.
We do these things not because they are easy
but because...
your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my ... eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind."
frankly, my dear, I don’t give a ****.

One nation, under God, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for...
an offer they can't refuse.

Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall
(and ) say hello to my little friend.

We the people, in order to form a more perfect union...
the streets shall flow with the blood of the non-believers.

That is weird, wild stuff, I did not know that...
I think, therefore...
I see dead people...
Houston, we have...
(to) throw the baby out with the bath water..

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of...
A house divided against itself...
With great power comes...
the angel of the Lord, and lo, He said unto them...
Give me liberty, or give me...
Government of the people, by the people, for the people...

To be or not to be...
You talking to me?
You talkin' to me?
Am I funny to you?
Am I a clown to you, do I amuse you...
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch...

I, am your father...

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

come and play, everything's  A okay,
we're on our way to where the air is...

A day that shall live in infamy...

"Why so serious?"
I know you are, but what am I?
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth...
but in the end,
nobody puts Baby in a corner...

**** the torpedoes, full speed ahead!
Give me liberty, or give me...
more cowbell !

Thou shalt not...
live long and prosper!
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere...
there's no place like home.

I’ll have what she’s having.
Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely...
I am the way, the truth, and the life.
If you want something done right...
speak softly and carry a big stick..

Dear,
If you were here with me,
I’d drape my coat over us
so the unsympathetic winds
will pass over you, no fuss.
once you learn why
I did what I had to do,
in your heart, you surely will construe.

You never see the hidden scars,
the marks left by hands uninvited,
by voices saying “boys will be boys” while my voice is silenced,
a whisper swallowed by the same mouths that judge me
for what they took.
Is that justice? Is that your idea of freedom?
No, you’ll never know.
You’ll never know because your world isn’t stained with fear,
your nights aren’t haunted by footsteps behind,
by eyes burning holes as you walk down the street
wondering if tonight’s the night someone decides
that your body is now theirs.
I am not your object, your pawn, your game.
Not your pet to control, to condemn, to tame.
I am not a vessel for your morals,
not a canvas for your shame.
This body, my body,
is mine.
Not yours to shackle in laws,
not yours to bind in blame,
not yours to drown in silence.

You sit in leather,
sign your names on paper
that ultimately becomes chains,
binding bodies you will never know,
dictating futures you will never know.
you preach protection,
you wrap us in a lie called love,
while you slice away autonomy,
carve out dignity,
turn our pain into a headline,
our lives into statistics.
you do not know what it’s like to flinch,
to walk home at night with keys clenched tight
like weapons, like armor,
you do not know what it’s like to wonder
if you’ll be believed,
if justice even has a name,
if freedom even has a face.

looking in the mirror,
holding my tummy,
grasping the memory of yesterday.

for it seems like yesterday
my baby was with me,
her body shared with mine.

I've etched my skin
with art for her,
but it's not good enough.

I shed countless tears for her,
gave her my liveliness,
but only for eight weeks.
It wasn't good enough.

I wanted to give her life,
everything she deserved.
my baby shouldn't have paid for my err.

I will love her for life,
and wait for her to return.

A mountain from a range,
Of such everlasting granite.
Carved over ages,
Shook from under footing
Like statues who will
Not wilt or crumble
Only to manifest
Into the space around it
Reminding me that as weak
As I feel, Inside of me is a similar
Persistence that won't be moved
By the capricious whim of man and imbecilic masses who follow.
I will seize your sharp shank and excavators trying to make me into something I am not.
I am a woman with equal rights
And dignity far beyond your pompous attempts to roil this robust range down. Your false statues will crumble when the mirror knocks at your midnight door. Here, look at yourself.

To the child I can't mother;
don't be too smart. At this age, you don't need 1,000 to count the stars.
You don't need pronouns to define what you are. Happiness defines who you are.
A happy person, I wish you become.
I don't mind you causing a headache,
remember when I read you about nations,
and you asked why states exist to rule?
Little pumpkin, I can't believe I'm raising an anarchist, how funny is that?
I want to take you to walk the beach at sunrise.
You are probably sleeping, so I'll carry you in my arms.
We can study the peebles and find a perfect spot to lie down,
I can smell Johnson's on your hair and the dream you had last night.