contributed photo
I dabbled in writing poetry every now and then, but always hated the idea of reciting it. I thought it was cringe and decided I never would. This isn’t the first poem I’ve written, but it is the first I ever recited. I still don’t know if I love reciting poetry, but I’m glad I got to share this with CLP Cohort 34 (and now you).
couldn’t be me
id see other people deal with offenses made against them and say “couldn’t be me.” as if every reaction has to be a sound decision.
could never be me!
a succinct verdict
sentencing others to a lifetime of their own self-induced embarrassment while i sit on my little bench,
draped in a robe that i never earned,
banging a gavel made of that thin plastic that dents at the slightest impact. a child’s toy.it could always be me, the same way ive watched it be you, and her, and him
and us,
and her,
and her.for every version of a person that could never be fucked with, there lives another version that blindly negotiates with their tormenter.
but the you that burns down the prisons they try to build around you
is never too far from the you whose well never runs dry
so long as the neighbors need waterso honor your multitudes
together they have the capacity for both demolition and renewal
for dignity and humility
for power and surrender
for repair
for balance
for humanity