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, explicitly condones or implies a call for violence, 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, explicitly condones or implies a call for violence, 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.
***
I AMERICA
by Edward D. Currelley
America is my home
This, is where I’m from
Generations past my
ancestors
Were stolen from their home
land
Brought here in chains
Generations since
We’ve worked hard to be Americans
This, without choice
Because, for the most part, it’s all we know
We’ve been given reluctant
invitation of assimilation
Un-equal justice, after the fact
We are made to feel like
occupying refugees
This state of reality wasn’t
asked for
It was forced upon us
We remain the only race of people
in these United States
Not given the choice of coming to these shores
of our own volition
There has never been an open
armed welcome
Benefits or opportunity un-earned
Give us your weak, poor etc,
never applied
Though we’ve managed advancement,
assimilation
We as a people continue to struggle
Within the structure of a nation in denial
A nation of false promise, blinded by its own
dark truths
A nation in fear of its own
reflection
A nation unwilling to
correct its misdeeds
Of challenging the truths of
its origin
These are our American
realities
James Baldwin wrote, “Not
everything that is faced can be changed,
But nothing can be changed
until it is faced.”
1 comment:
Congratulations Edward D. Currelley! I America is a magnificent, well crafted and
powerful poem. We need your voice and the clarity and power of your words. Thanks!
Post a Comment