Poetry / Soul Searching

Soul Searching

America, I worry about you
There was a time when your seven letters
Could look into a mirror and reflect:
Justice
Freedom
Honesty
When you planted trees so we could breathe
But your boughs are breaking
Your cradles falling
Down comes the hammer
Smashing mirrors until only two letters are left:
M – E

If black and white are the extremes
Everyone else looks both directions
Wonders which will yield the highest return on investment
Root money searches the underground for new holy water:
baptized in tainted blood
our hearts cardiac arrested for crimes of passion
we prefer being color blind

America, you drift
into netherworlds
Deliver us evil ways
Make sure no trail is left
No crumbs mark paths
when oneness becomes two;
two three; three four
east coast west coast
the dirty south
urban rural wal-mart mom and pop
democrat republican
liberal conservative
and now you are fucked
Unable to locate the road home

I speak to you
White America
The offspring of purity ill conceived
Deformed by actions drowning words
The melting pot crept up on you like a Trojan horse
And when colors emerged you tried to assimilate them
Cause you didn’t like the look on the wash line
Segregating truth with brick walls and water cannons

I speak to you
White America
Profit mongers
Preferring quantity over quality
Risking health to pad your pockets
“Made In America” fed to the lions
Only bones remain
The fat become obese
The skinny obsolete

I speak to you
Black America
marching arm-in-arm
unity community
interaction of energy and matter
Where have you gone?
Where are you going?

I speak to you
Black America
Chasing hairline fracture dreams
fetch bones ancestors buried
from slave masters
Brother wants the same dream
Happiness is a warm gun

See the Klan sits back
watches as you fill their trophy case
mission accomplished
the moon blocks out the sun
you stare blind to the truth

America, you have your guns,
liquor, candy bars
you bought your homes, fancy cars, bling-bling
All without a dime in your pocket
greed creates cracks in the sidewalk
each step breaks your back
more, more, more
well, how do you like it?

Payback is a bitch with heat
while Peter is in debt to Paul,
Tom, Dick, and Harry
Mary Jane is jonesing for Willie Johnson
not recognizing they are both being fucked

America, what happened to your melting pot?
colorful stew exotic cultural ingredients
baked by the sun
moonlight nourishment

It’s time to mix your black with white
Your lights with color
Stop bleaching your souls
Let your colors bleed

America, it’s time to do the laundry

You need to log in to urbis or create an urbis account to review this writing.