"indictment" poems
When we think about the choices in our lives
When we fight and we bicker and become bitter
When we think there is only power or powerlessness
If we can realize that there is power and powerlessness
Then haven't we began to acquire consciousness
In that instance haven't we began the process of choice
That there is those who have not have given birth to this consciousness
To those who have only lived powerlessness
And know nothing else
Haven't you owed them part of your consciousness
That you have ceased to be one of them
Or your mere power has denied one of them
That there is no choice for them
Because they haven't birthed that consciousness
And if you choose power they'll remain powerless
Because within you there is no loyalty, right?
It is a choice predicated by an erroneous concept of self-preservation
It is a treacherous dichotomy; doesn't make sense
This is not an indictment of your desire not to suffer
Because surely to hold power would cease your suffering
But it is this type of power that thrives on the proliferation of powerlessness
This conceptual understanding of what it means to have power
That is not what we've come learn, but readily ascribe to
That a mind and body can cultivate power
That can be harvested, shared, communal
For the sole purpose of the survival of the other, not the self
That that can survive in this world is impossible
Its antithetical to the modes of production
In which our societies operate and thrive
How can workers begin to derive power from their collective efforts
How can workers' purchasing power equal the power of the production of their labor
How can any community in any corner of the world escape
The misanthropic missions of first world free trade capitalism
When will we reclaim our escaping humanity
When will we cease to keep feeding the system with our minds, our bodies, our labor
How much longer can we become fodder, scraps, waste feeding the machine
And don't think that you are safe when you have made it
When you have entered the circle of dominance
Because it is then when you will loose your humanity or die
It is at that apex of power that your presence becomes
Just as dispensable as that of the powerless
Because to maintain that circle of dominance
Requires a total conversion to misanthropy
The rigor with which your power will be required
To keep proliferating powerlessness will give no break
And when you become useless, it will replace you
So that we must realize that the modes of production
That we allow to exploit us
In powerlessness, or the semblance of power
Can never safeguard our humanity
How much further will we allow power to be concentrated
So that soon we ourselves, or our children won't have a choice
Won't have the consciousness of power just powerlessness
Mar 31, 2013
Mar 31, 2013 at 9:49 PM UTC
A tear for peace is a tear worth shedding
‘Blood for peace’ is not
That’s just a selfish message sent out, a message written in red ink
This is as true as the sun is hot
A tear for peace is a tear for these streets
To disregard violence and cease…
The hate speech and incitement
That ugly place
That the tongues of certain guys went
While we were thinking… “Shut up! Please!”
I campaign for the indictment of these…
Former citizens and apparent ‘leaders’
Who relinquished their right to call themselves Kenyans the moment they decided to bleed us… literally
I root for he… or she that will bring sustenance and feed us
With that which we need most
And so I task him… or task her
With the responsibility of ensuring that Kenya as a country and as a people
Work tirelessly toward a better tomorrow and prosper
And let these hate campaigners find themselves behind bars
So they can get our message loud and clear
And I will celebrate in my own way, maybe step into a nice bar…
And buy myself a beer
But for now I will keep praying for peace and still shed that tear
And ask my fellow countrymen to join me in prayer
As we wait for next year.
Sep 26, 2012
Sep 26, 2012 at 2:39 AM UTC
16th, 17th, 18th chapel I don't care how many of them you make
If there's no gift shop how am I supposed to remember I was ever there?
In Germany I got a mug and a spoon
In Wales, Austria, and Poland I got a spoon
They're small and made of poisonous metal but very heavy for their size
I heard from a former classmate that you can't get a spoon in Egypt they only sell forks
What do you mean you're "not a very visual person"?
May your indictment remain sealed despite the current widespread family tumult
Feb 8, 2013
Feb 8, 2013 at 5:17 AM UTC
These rushes called "crushes", a concept aptly titled
You can't let it crush you though, your perspective can be vital
Your mind begins to wander and stomach starts to flutter
Your tongue becomes tied which can lead to a stutter
Oftentimes you find that the feelings are one-sided
So you'll do anything you can to conceal and to hide it
While love can cloud judgment, a crush can bring haze
But seeing their face gets you through dreary spring days
It's amazing what a simple little crush can do for us
How when you listen to a love song, little angels sing the chorus
It teeters after "like" but totters before "love"
A seesaw, emotions that fit you like a glove
The thought of them, the sight of them sends you a frightening jolt
Cupid's Arrow hits with the force of a lightening bolt
Of energy, of excitement, an indictment on how you feel
It leaves a lasting scar, it seems that no one else can heal
Nov 14, 2012
Nov 14, 2012 at 8:31 PM UTC
By: Cedric McClester
Twenty- seven years
In a prison cell
Like Dante’s Infernal
A version of hell
All he wanted was freedom
For his native land
Where because of apartheid
Things had gotten out of hand
This is a song for Nelson
Who changed everything
A song for Nelson
Is the song that I sing
There on Robben Island
Where he would be still
If not for his courage
And his indomitable will
He led a movement
That endured and prevailed
Even from a prison cell
Locked away in jail
This is a song for Nelson
Who changed everything
A song for Nelson
Is the song that I sing
To say he was transformative
Understates the case
A man for the ages would be better
In its place
He changed a people’s destiny
Saw apartheid get erased
As the father of his country
His name has been encased
This is a song for Nelson
Who changed everything
A song for Nelson
Is the song that I sing
In 1964 an indictment was lodged
Against Nelson Mandela
Accused of sabotage
Which he never denied
Or tried to camouflage
The truth of the matter is
He was guilty by and large
And locked away until he was discharged
This is a song for Nelson
Who changed everything
A song for Nelson
Is the song that I sing
Twenty- seven years
In a prison cell
Like Dante’s Infernal
A version of hell
All he wanted was freedom
For his native land
Where because of apartheid
Things had gotten out of hand
This is a song for Nelson
Who changed everything
A song for Nelson
Is the song that I sing
(c) Copyright 2015, Cedric McClester, All rights reserved.
Apr 21, 2015
Apr 21, 2015 at 4:51 PM UTC
Omni-man signals with his one last diamond finger,
“Approach, Dear Assange. We delight for your flash!”
But we know, silent reader, that it all is arranged.
These endorsements, the agents- the indictment itself.
Everything left unrevealed is a war-cry to all:
Liberate knowledge, be Free with the Truth!
Hope be for anyone so brave to stick up that high,
may the lies be exposed as an ointment on truths.
Jan 14, 2011
Jan 14, 2011 at 2:39 AM UTC
it's not just putting up with it
it's so much more than getting into it
agree, or disagree?
but to take a view on anything
you need to put your mind to it
accept, or reject?
go out of your way to make up your mind
i'm not getting paid for that
worth it, or turf it?
we may never mean to cause offence
but we always have to choose a side
hypocrite, or critic?
for me i find it hard to be
two different people simultaneously
missed, or dissed?
in a universe of opportunity
different people need to co-exist
chosen, or frozen?
the fact that you're on time and i'm not
doesn't mean our time's the same
zealous, or jealous?
just because we have our different ways
it's not an excuse to insinuate
grateful, or hateful?
because stereotyping different people
ends up an indictment on oneself
choose it, or lose it?
and when we call each other names
that we may or may not understand
childish, or selfish?
and here's the thing:
it might be worth being benevolent
and help each other through whatever strife
no matter how big or how small
but i guess to be truly tolerant
you should probably live the kind of life
that doesn't need to be tolerated at all
Nov 29, 2015
Nov 29, 2015 at 7:58 AM UTC
Shan’t one discern
Between a reverie yet to conclude?
And unprecedented retribution?
Society may think it dexterous
To berate the triumph of others
And reprimand them
in exclusive and dire scrutiny
Though such a sycophant
Becomes aroused by
The fashioning of controversy
An indictment is questionable
Oct 4, 2012
Oct 4, 2012 at 8:49 PM UTC
The suffocating sky upon my skin
in heavy sheets of satin, locks me in
while rising tides trade water with the air;
my silent screams resounding pagan prayers.
Reflections cut me close and ripple past
an upward gaze (a plea for fate recast).
The options slim: to fight or drown before
my vacant core dies flaccid on the shore.
All that I have ever known or been
gets swept away and washed ashore again
when self-indictment draws me back to you.
this masochistic need for black and blue
wraps tight around my ankles, pulls me deep
into your arms, the ocean floor - asleep.
While water fills my lungs and steals my air,
your tightened grip - it kills me unaware.
***
they say that time can heal all wounds, but can it heal all fear?
the truth disguised in little lies, the answer drawing near.
my heart in two (my soul to keep) but deeper yet, my will
drowns out beneath the water cold and settles lower, still.
Jun 18, 2012
Jun 18, 2012 at 10:57 AM UTC
Deep and everlasting
Tender, warm, and safe
Me heart no longer fasting
We are in a perfect place
Laughing, smiling, having fun
Reading, weeping, **********
Your touch makes my heart run
And you know I’m never faking
Adventure and excitement
For many, many years
This is my love’s indictment
With kisses, hugs, support, and tears
So I proclaim to thee
This is what our love can be
Dec 4, 2011
Dec 4, 2011 at 7:32 PM UTC
Last July was the hottest month, ever.
That is, ever since we ‘officially’ started tracking weather.
The Earth is lying on the bathroom floor, wrists severed;
I wonder whether this is a storm we can weather,
Or whether we’ll all perish together.
Greenland lost 12.5 billion tonnes of ice sheets.
That is,
The island that was 80% ice is becoming one, giant, puddle.
The earth is about to be slain, a warrior conceding defeat;
Huddle up, give your loved ones a cuddle,
For we are so troubled that any aliens out there must be truly befuddled.
My generation was born with a guillotine looming over our heads.
An impending sense of dread,
As corporations put on their executioner’s hoods,
And reach for the lever.
A sordid reality in which to save the planet,
One must fight one’s own government;
A reality in which we may have done permanent damage,
A reality in which valour gets no monuments,
But only condemnation and incarceration.
Remember these names:
Julian Assange. Currently awaiting an 18-count indictment charge from the US.
Edward Snowden. Could face up to 30 years in prison if the US get their hands on him.
Chelsea Manning. Spent 7 years in prison.
Abdullah Öcalan. In prison since 1999.
Edem Bekirov. A man who has been dying in prison for the past year.
Benny Tai. Sentenced to over a year for fighting for what is right.
Nasser Zefzafi. In prison for the next 20 years.
Kerry Shakaboona Marshall. A man who received a life sentence aged 17 years old.
Simon Blevins, Richard Roberts, and Richard Loizou. Sentenced to over a year for fighting fracking.
Tim DeChristopher. 21 months for fighting oil and gas pipelines.
Stella Nyanzi. The raunchy Ugandan poetess who cannot be tamed, no matter how many times prison beckons.
This list is basically endless.
It is saturated in blood that drips from the corners of the page,
Soaked in the rage of brave men and women, living in a cage.
Depression. Exhaustion. Numbness.
Oppression and a lack of caution,
Leading us to this dumb mess.
This can no longer be the norm.
We can no longer conform,
Nor can we compromise or haggle;
We must reverse our own demise,
For this is our generation’s battle.
Aug 22, 2019
Aug 22, 2019 at 1:56 AM UTC
Twenty eighteen has come and gone,
And all I can say is, What a year!
That twenty nineteen will also be
Just as crazy is crystal clear.
Mass shootings once again
Shook the country, taking a toll
On all of us, and yet very little
Has been done about gun control.
Always the center of controversies,
Trump again tried to assuage
The public by pleading ignorance
When Stormy Daniels took center stage.
Then we learned that Trump had paid
Hush money to flings at least TWICE
In hopes to secure his chances of winning
The twenty sixteen election. How nice!
A lot of Trump's team have left
Through the admin's revolving door,
Always mired in controversy.
There are bound to be many more.
Trump has proved he loves his tyrants
More than he loves our allies and friends.
Ignoring advice from experts, he'll do
Whatever Putin recommends.
Hurricanes caused major flooding;
California was ravaged by fires.
Yet dire warnings go unheeded
By stalwart climate change deniers.
The separation of families seeking
Asylum showed a callous side
Of Trump and his team, whose inhumane
Actions cannot be denied.
Year two of investigations…
Manafort, Gates, Cohen, and Flynn
Are talking more, while the walls
Around Donald Trump are closing in.
Meanwhile Trump continues to lie.
There's no end to his subterfuge.
How many lies? Eight thousand?
And Giuliani plays his stooge.
Kavanagh got a Supreme Court seat
After a sham investigation,
Which shows how Trump maintains the belief:
What's good for Trump is good for the nation.
November saw a welcome blue wave
Sweep through the House. Such a delight!
This should end Nunes' obstruction
Of justice. There will be oversight!
We lost three prominent people:
Barbara and George Bush and McCain.
Very few members of
The old Republican guard remain.
Trump cannot stop harping on
His WALL--a waste of money and time.
With our crumbling infrastructure,
Building his "wall" would be a crime.
What will the New Year bring forth?
Perhaps an indictment? Perhaps an arraignment?
Since Trump loves to be the star,
THAT'S what I'd call entertainment!
-by Bob B (1-1-19)
Jan 1, 2019
Jan 1, 2019 at 12:56 PM UTC
By: Cedric McClester
A baby riding in a car
On the Easter holiday
Lost his life just that quick
Cos a bullet went astray
A young girl walkin with some friends
Soon to graduate
Will not now nor will she ever
A bullet sealed her fate
What the hell is goin on
Can you give me an answer
Why do bullets **** more of us
Than heart attacks or cancer
I’ve been tryin to understand
Listener what you say
Could it be something (that was planted)
In our DNA
The ravages of the savages
Can be felt on the streets
Where innocent bystanders
Often catch the heat
From those bullet-riddled operas
That all too frequently repeat
The examples are there
For us to find
Where should I begin
Pick up any newspaper
The list just doesn’t end
Of people who’ve been slain (unnecessarily)
Must we be subjected
To the violence that we see
We too are entitled
To the pursuit of happiness
So why is it that we’re content
To settle for much less
Haven’t we buried enough
Daughters and also sons
For us to be sick and tired
Of the violence and the guns
The ravages of the savages
Can be felt on the streets
Where innocent bystanders
Often catch the heat
From those bullet-riddled operas
That all too frequently repeat
Call it an indictment
If that’s how you choose to view it
But nine times out of ten
Who are the ones that do it
In our own communities
Self-hatred runs real deep
And so we **** each other
As if walkin in our sleep
If we are the problem
Then we can be the cure
And if we put a stop to this
It won’t happen anymore
How many sad funerals
Must each of us attend
Of a beloved relative
Or a real close friend
The ravages of the savages
Can be felt on the streets
Where innocent bystanders
Often catch the heat
From those bullet-riddled operas
That all too frequently repeat
Most of us will concede
It doesn’t make no sense
What will it take for us to develop
Zero tolerance
The ravages of the savages
Can be felt on the streets
Where innocent bystanders
Often catch the heat
From those bullet-riddled operas
That all too frequently repeat
They have no right to take away
What they can’t give back
Human life should be respected
As a matter of fact
This given is ignored
By the savages in our mist
Who’d rather pull out a gun
Than fight you with their fists
Clearly they are cowards
And it’s obvious
That none of them are marksmen
Judging by how frequently they miss
Why should we be sympathetic
Though they’ll make the claim
That it was just an accident
Because they couln’t aim
Most of us will concede
It doesn’t make no sense
What will it take for us to develop
Zero tolerance
The ravages of the savages
Can be felt on the streets
Where innocent bystanders
Often catch the heat
From those bullet-riddled operas
That all too frequently repeat
(c) Copyright 2015, Cedric McClester. All rights reserved.
Apr 20, 2015
Apr 20, 2015 at 8:00 AM UTC
I sit upon my throne and stare
Looking at the empty hall with no care
Memories of cheers and excitement
And then I only had indictment
They blamed me for the faults that occurred
Traitors amongst my ranks who had it stirred
The price I have to pay for those I trust
Keep their words they must.
But no, they don’t. I see them running out
My Kingdom a Blaze and I’m with no doubt
And for whoever wants to be the king
Be prepared for what troubles those who say they’re loyal will bring
Dec 1, 2020
Dec 1, 2020 at 8:11 PM UTC
I would like to call my first witness to the stand,
Will the characteristic name selfish please stand,
"Is it true, that you believe the world revolves around you?
If so , how can a ***** even evolve around you?,
That's why in conversation ****** tolk around you,
Because if he cant walk with ****** will walk around you,
That's meant exactly how it sounds too,
Always jumping to conclusions without sound proof,
Know how to hit me where it hurts ,with such a profound tooth,
Then when my feelings are revealed, you become soundproof?"
You know how to **** me softly , you're well known for your silky execution,
and you like a story ,
Never been one for the hasty resolution,
And for that alone is why im seeking Restitution,
This is it. the Jury is hung,
My mind is out of it but my heart? Its latching on to you like the song that Sam sung,
There's been too much time lost playin victim,
Which is why I'm here to ask that you wave this indictment,
Not gonna lie and say that there is no need for conviction,
The truth is your honor, that SHE. SHE is my addiction ,
Not a day goes by when I don't think about her,
I never say never but I never saw me without her,
But To be Frank , its tragic what she got up in her attic, I've had it with the dramatics,
it's like her formulas quadratic,
My mind is filled with static,
I tried to hit the box for clarity,
I planned 100 different ways of asking her to marry me,
But I could never get the timing right your majesty,
Then it all fell apart , miraculous, no magically.
Jan 29, 2021
Jan 29, 2021 at 5:00 PM UTC
Baby cries
Don’t know why
There’s got to be a reason.
By and by
We’ll know why
It can’t be just the season.
Pick them up
When babies cry
And let the know you love them.
Never beat
Never shout
Never push and shove them.
What could a little kid do
That merited a hard fist?
Go ahead, take your time
Write us out a long list.
Did it cry because hungry,
Lonely in it’s own crib?
Did it need frequent changing,
Spit up on it’s tiny bib?
Baby cries
Don’t know why
There’s got to be a reason.
By and by
We’ll know why
It can’t be just the season.
Was there a rash hurting
Or maybe a sour belly.
Did you feed it liver pate
When it wanted cherry jelly?
Did it say no to your orders
When treated like a slave?
What was the crime you felt
Should send them to the grave?
Pick them up
When babies cry
And let the know you love them.
Never beat
Never shout
Never push and shove them.
Something went very wrong with you
That you feel right to hit children;
To starve and cut and burn them
With a kind of joyous abandon.
Is part of it that you get to do
Whatever outrage you want
As long as you keep it hidden,
As long as you don’t flaunt?
Baby cries
Don’t know why
There’s got to be a reason.
By and by
We’ll know why
It can’t be just the season.
Pick them up
When babies cry
And let the know you love them.
Never beat
Never shout
Never push and shove them.
Nov 1, 2017
Nov 1, 2017 at 3:04 PM UTC
Kawasaki revving on a long 5 ***********
screaming pipe, watching from behind
a beautiful carousel of red and blue
flashing between my eyes
All along these tired roads
between the wandering streams cutting daily into the sediment
eroding the trust of those ancient riverbanks
exposing the bodies laid to dust
Those great crackling xylophones
marimba of memory and curdled blood
Screaming now, cracking between the gunshots
like bones
Souls forever past it
No forgiveness, no chance
No indictment on a ruddy road
I fall off my bike, skid a mile or two
feel the deep earth grind my skin,
tempting me with heat and a sweet goodbye
a challenge I'll never win
I skid past the officer in a ditch,
hole in his head and a clipboard ripped in two
Poor man, back with the sediment
wrapped in a carpet of beige and mud
all we've ever done
I'm not sure what I'd have said
As I slid past on my way to death
where the Appalachia slammed into Africa
saying we were all in this together
once before
as dinosaurs
So how are we any different then?
Bunch of stardust
and Sediment
Acting like winners
and consumed by lust
for dust and rocks
a part of us
Leading back our dark descent
Kawasaki flips and implodes in a ball of combustibles
behind me the sky explodes into red
and fire of passion deep in our star
of hearts, I know we'll all be the same then
empty of body, devoid of toys
stripped of lies, those knowledgeable clothes
and return to perfect Eden
where dirt and earth are us,
and dust we discriminate
obliterate into the neverend
Jun 28, 2018
Jun 28, 2018 at 12:44 AM UTC
in a valley of apathy between mountains of content and success
i can shout to the tops of both but lets face it, i'm depressed
no i didn't fall off a cliff, though i wished i did
i must have the world revolve around me, god forbid
i'm a low life in a low place, my only daily reminder
counting the remainder of my years before i pass
"come a bit sooner" i say, hoping this day is the last
of the many hours in bed, too scared to even move,
hearing my heart pound through my chest,
isn't that the best? no, i only want to die,
i really cant say why, its why i was born,
i'm not part of the social norm, i'm low-headed
but the mountaintops are still dreaded
when i start my long hike of scrapes and falls
the people up top i call my friends think they know it all,
how to go a night without wanting to bawl
your eyes out in a fit of excitement
they name depression my indictment
they call me the worst type of sinner
that when i look in the mirror i want to be thinner
so i starve and starve and starve again
never to win, it'll only pile up and never end
they were screaming "swallow your pride"
but i was too scared i'd choke
the phrases they say are a record that broke
the needle keeps cracking cracking cracking cracking
like my self esteem that they're attacking attacking attacking
i'm shutting down, i want no more of this
if my ignorance is bliss, then i'm going to the heaven you call hell
ill see the day where there is no more
where getting out of bed is no longer a chore
and my internal screams are the soundtrack to your nights
i know that might scare you
it just might
but you'll see the day where i don't have to
be in pain from the day i was born
we can rewrite everything i've felt
when you know about the nights i've dealt
Feb 10, 2014
Feb 10, 2014 at 1:59 AM UTC
The verdict read guilty
The indictment so empty
I care for your suffering
Your empty regret,
The humanity is passion,
Feelings of disease,
You don't feel anything for me and rightly so,
Misguided, you say you see love,
Yet I am all that that is despise,
I am hatred and misery,
I am the empty casket
Summoned up from the abyss,
Your heart is a liar,
You've yet to scratch the surface.
Mar 10, 2014
Mar 10, 2014 at 10:09 PM UTC
It's like coming back to an empty room,
filling blanks with my mind
while I look for you.
It's the half-life
of my memories
that betrays me now as I replay through each scene.
Holding the bag
of fast fading photos
and stumbling home alone past windows
that could've been ours.
Now I can't remember
my getaway plan.
That year's November
dropped me into cold;
arrested breaths
sold me out
3 years, still scared to death...
...that the time'll prove you right,
that no indictment ever left a man so blind.
I'll sit in the dark, then lie on the floor.
But Justice can see you've gone so
far on your own way
and that's just fine.
When this empty room echoes,
that sound is mine.
Trip through the doorway in domestic dark
in this sick span of space
where it echoes stark.
And it sounds wrong
to my puzzled ears.
Nothing fits in this vacant place without you here.
What good's a home
when it's all ghosts and regrets
and one lonely soul resisting egress?
These fumbling hours
spent searching for landmarks
that used to be here,
can't find them so far.
dropping into slow
arrested breaths
Won't go out
3 years, still scared to death...
...that my memory's decayed
that the best of me invested got mislaid.
I'll sit in this room, in the thick, empty dark.
And, now, I can see you've gone so
far on your own way
and that's just fine.
Now the silence here echoes;
I'm losing time.
Feb 1, 2016
Feb 1, 2016 at 1:27 PM UTC
I write my poems
Then post them online
For all the world to see
And I never noticed that I
Am writing the tale of me.
I never felt a moment's fear
That some would read here
Any kind of indictment
Or make hurtful judgment,
Though some have before.
Even those I don’t ignore.
I am weaving piecemeal
A harlequin coat of words
That, when they are heard,
Tell you more than asking
More than admitting aloud
Under oath to an eager crowd
Of prosecutors and accusers
And those who support me
Waiting in their seats, hoping
I won’t quit telling, revealing
The tale of a man who rhymes.
It is nearly my only crime.
Please accept, it is only humming,
Something you may do at work;
Me jerking a pen and scribbling.
Don’t bother with quibbling
Because that is what it is,
Doodling, noodling, muttering
But doing it on paper, lettering
Making tuneless music from me
So others can see and happily
Decide to keep it or share it.
I don’t care. It matters not to me.
I give my literary gifts freely.
Apr 29, 2018
Apr 29, 2018 at 5:01 AM UTC