African Diaspora

REBEL!!!

Rebel by Edaw Wade

REBEL: MALCOLM MARTIN ANGELA by Edaw Wade

you dare define me
mold my reality
predetermine my destiny
rewrite my history
i study your theory
and see
your acts are cowardly
so I scream loudly and do this proudly
closed fist raised above me
thirsty
for freedom you denied me
and I am worthy
oh yes, I am worthy
and those that stand with me
fifty times fifty times fifty times fifty
we
REBEL!!!

© Speaks Beliefs, 2009. All rights reserved.

words inspired by REBEL, art by Edaw Wade

Remember Me!

Yes,
I remember you!
Do you remember me?

Walked on my aged and crumbling streets
Navigated my many obstacles
Strategically placed liquor stores
Drugs and guns
Hustlers and gangsters
Now you stare at me
Through an upscale high-rise window
Do you remember me?

Educated in my dilapidated buildings
Underfunded schools
Matriculated in overcrowded rooms
Taught by my dedicated educators
Overwhelmed and underappreciated teachers
Now many letters follow your name
Degrees one, two, and three
Do you remember me?

Survived many run-ins with my officers
Racial profiling
Juvenile detention
Now your record is squeaky clean
Ensured by a lawyer
On retainer fee
Do you remember me?

Day you left me for the first degree
Etched in my memory
Teased me with an occasional stay
Then visits ceased.
Now you fail to claim
That you were ever raised
In my streets
Code switching deceased
Do you remember me?

I miss you!
I need you!
For the many like you
Those left behind
Doomed to obscurity
Conditioned to accept
Restricted opportunity
My reality

Come back me
Embrace me
Your home community
Don’t deny my memory

Help correct the cycle
So we can show the world
The grace
The resilience
The beauty of my existence
Reflected by the people
Who live in me.

I am the ghetto
Your ghetto
Jewel of the city
Remember me!

© Speaks Beliefs, 2009. All rights reserved.

Freedom Thoughts

I’s free. Broken bones and skin. Free. Don’t know where’s I’ll end up. Free. John ain’t my name. Share that name with ol’ massa’s dog. Lawd. I don’t know who I am, but I is free. A free man. A man free. Gotta keep runnin’ fore sunrise. Fore they miss me. My breath leavin’ me. Don’t get tired. Don’t let me get tired. They kill Sam. They ain’t gonna kill me. Free. Done hear tell of a place I can go. Hope this the way. Good white folks’ there. Keep runnin’…. Got clean away. Free. I see the river. Gotta run cross the river. I ain’t never been in water pass my knee. Sky turnin’ all kinds of red and yellow. Don’t let me get tired Lawd. Ain’t got no time. Ain’t got no more. Reckon I can rest up here. NO! That tired you feel is the devil. Evil thoughts leave me be. Run. Run. FREE!

© Speaks Beliefs, 2009. All rights reserved.
This is my first serious attempt at prose poetry. Thanks Crystal Belle!