"Carefully Taught"

I am broken into pieces that I don't know how to pick up
I am broken by the all of this
 
the hate
the anger
the intolerance
the division
I am broken by the brokenness 
I am broken by it all
 
we are fighting each other to stay alive
we are fighting each other to stay alive
we are fighting each other to stay alive
it's broken
implicitly
 
too much
 
how do you keep breathing
when there's no way forward
how do you keep breathing
when it's us versus them versus them versus us
 
how do you keep breathing when there's a knee on your neck
held down
held down
held down
 
police
kill
black
humans
 
actively
systematically
repeatedly
 
we train whites to kill children in school with guns
and we train police
to kill people
that they don't like.

Two Hours Before The Hail

the wind brings me raindrops

from clouds not yet overhead

and I watch them hit the windowpane 

while the last of the plum blossoms

fly directionless and free-form to the ground.

 

"It's chilly for April" we say quietly

not wanting to incur the wrath of Summer's heat

quite yet

 

and that wind has bite - 

leaving cheeks rosy with colour

and hands pulled up into sleeves

or pushed down into pockets deep

 

the rain a momentary instance

 

still snow

still ice

still life

to come.

Let's Be Giants

Let's be giants

we'll take our giant hands

and build giant buildings next to skyscrapers made of wood

 

and we'll wonder why no one sees the toys left around like Lego bricks 

and guy wires made of candy floss

and we'll play giant games

 

our giant feet stomping through the city making valleys where we walk

 

Let's be giants

and build things

with our hands the size of cars

and our laughter loud like thunder

and our hearts beating thick and heavy

full of joy and pain and emotions made ever bigger by our size

 

Let's be giants

and curl up together

our backs against the hills

our faces to the ocean

knowing more adventures await us in the morning

as we leave behind the buildings we made

standing next to skyscrapers

made of wood.