As the
incoming administration builds its agenda of attack on marginalized people, on
freedom of speech, on the earth itself, poetry will continue to be an essential
voice of resistance. Poets will speak out in solidarity, united
against hatred, systemic oppression, and violence and for justice, beauty,
and community.
In this
spirit, Split This Rock is offering its blog as a Virtual Open Mic. For the
rest of this frightening month, January of 2017, we invite you to send us poems
of resistance, power, and resilience.
We will post every poem we receive unless it is offensive (containing language that is derogatory toward marginalized groups, that belittles, uses hurtful stereotypes, etc.). After the Virtual Open Mic closes, we hope to print out and mail all of the poems to the White House.
We will post every poem we receive unless it is offensive (containing language that is derogatory toward marginalized groups, that belittles, uses hurtful stereotypes, etc.). After the Virtual Open Mic closes, we hope to print out and mail all of the poems to the White House.
For
guidelines on how to submit poems for this call, visit the Call for Poems of
Resistance, Power & Resilience blog post.
***
O America!
by Wendy Brown-Báez
by Wendy Brown-Báez
O
America land of the free
land
of the brave willing to tell the truth
willing
to declare the end to slavery
willing
to take a chance and start
over
on the prairie, the tenement, the suburbs
O
America land of the complacent
land
of the tame
what
happened to the wild
courage
of dreaming
equality
for all
When
will you stop killing those
on
top of “our” oil fields
let
go of the profits of prostitution rings
in
a jungle village far away from the
façade
of domestic ease
O
America: shame on you!
Where
is the justice
you
once embraced
close
to the poor the huddled
your
masses hunger for freedom
Oh
America
so
many times, I have
at
least 3 expired passports
and
still here I am, head in my
hands,
wondering why
I
can’t find peace
and
why you can’t let
go
the reins on the world’s
desire
to eat for cheap and
be
entertained for free?
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