If I could I would transform my body into a sailboat large enough to transport enslaved humans to a place where they can be free If I could I would transform my limbs into a sturdy mast my hair into wind-worthy sails my back into a protective keel my hands into a reliable helm my …
Category: Social Justice
Imagine this
We cannot standardize test our way out of this mess. We need less desks in uniform rows crammed with young bound bodies cracking from the conforming stress. Every other answer a bubbled-in guess. More creative thinkers are needed to get us out of this mess. Shred the excessive expensive tests! Give young minds more tools …
Deliberate Decisions
The decisions of a few have angered the masses The decisions of millions are altering the planet Life is a delicate balance - a series of individual choices With outcomes sometimes decided by others "With our equal rights and justice, it's unattainable, just like our future if we don't live sustainable. Money and privilege can …
The Giver by James Baldwin (audio poem)
James Arthur Baldwin was born on August 2, 1924 in New York City’s Harlem. Baldwin had a difficult upbringing, which included an evangelical preacher stepfather who struggled financially and who demanded rigorous religious behavior from his nine children. Baldwin’s personal challenges are reflected in his writings, especially in Go Tell It on the Mountain. Baldwin was …
A Note to Nina and Betty
Why it took me searching for a protest song over eight years ago to find you, Nina Simone, I will never know. Of course, I know the answer to my rhetorical question. Your absence from musical rotations and from historical discussions (and from acceptance into the Institute of Music in Philadelphia in the 1950s) is …
Sidewalk Conversations (audio poems)
Last week’s post, a poetic story of a lady who learned to embrace admiration, was (mostly) fictional. In this post, I share two true tales of conversations I had with two men, separated by ten years and over 100 miles. Both conversations were brief, but each taught me the value of being aware, of listening, …
Let Us Honor the Women – 19th Amendment
Let us honor the women Who fought boldly For Women’s Right to Vote What was long denied Should have been a right Granted to All Americans Unanimously and instantly With the sweep of one pen Instead, the fate of a new nation Initially given to only white men Causing fractures and dissention And years of …
Beauty and Unity Revealed (audio poem)
"Beauty and Unity Revealed" Audio Version What has the potential to unite humanity? What brings people together in a world where some benefit from keeping the masses unsettled and separate? Art, and its many splendid forms Was the answer revealed And one that has and will continue to be A unifier, even if, on the …
Uncomfortable Words, Breathtaking Steps (audio poem)
The week began with sadness, anger, and confusion swirling around. A whirlwind of emotions that I had to write my way through. Writing helps me to process and (try to) understand all that surrounds. The events of the week kept me on a difficult writing path, but as I prepare to publish this post I …
Continue reading Uncomfortable Words, Breathtaking Steps (audio poem)
My Inspired Life 