Untitled Poem

We were never the underdog

Though we often tell ourselves we were

No one took the losing bet

And celebrated

Fireworks

Lifted high into the sky

Above a land that could be glowing

But chooses to endure a darkness

That could’ve been avoided altogether

Crestfallen at the podium

Valuing submission

Rather than defiance

Fighting the same battle

For four centuries

For to be silent is to feel safe

Though we aren’t the forsaken

We put our heavy hearts inboxes

Stuffing them under the floorboards

Covering them with dirt

To bury your hatchet is one thing

But a single

Difficult plea

For forgiveness

Could never erase the blood

From your neighbor’s gunfight

To rise is to resist

To acknowledge the current

And ignore the flow

Dwelling in the struggle

For the sake of the cause

Breathe in

Breathe out

Criticize the culture

And tend to your garden

We are stronger in the streets

Then we are behind a screen

Holding hands

Instead of grudges

Painting masterpieces

Of a world that is perplexing,

But possible

If we only choose to live it