Cartoon Nelson | Angelica Fuse
Cartoon Nelson
takes me on board
his vibrant
technicolor rocket ship
I blast away
to immortal
pastel oblivion.
read a poem
Chicago Blues | John Robert Bland
I have been shot many times
by bullets of hate
Lain face down in my blood
as death stole my fate
With siren and uniforms
they surround me with markers
Framed by my rich plasma
as my Picasso looms larger
Hauled off by employees
in zipped disposal bags
No doubt the most attention
I have ever had
And I can hear mama
asking Jesus why me
Like the chorus to a song
play on
play on
as long as they keep killing me
More at http://www.amazon.com/Urban-Removal-John-Robert-Bland/dp/1493743341.
Voice of the Matriarch | Tempest Brew
Do not
stifle the voice
of the matriarch
for years
we waited
from corners
in kitchens
on
our knees
listen to
the voice
of the mother
sister niece
daughter wife
her burdens
are yours
she is
human too.
Castaways | Roger Still
If my face were different
would I be discarded,
If my language sounded
strange, would you put
a fence around me?
If my eyes shine differently
or my culture sounds
diverse, embrace me.
We will learn from
each other.
Blaze | HR Creel
Burn away
rumpled parchment
exterior
of racism sexism
We are the same
Burn away
a surface of hatred
we no longer
have use for.
Telling a New Story | J. Ash Gamble
Listen to me, kid,
we’re telling a new
story now,
not the old one of abuse
or wrong-doing
Because in this story
you decide to be the decent
human being you know
you really want to be.
Nature’s Breath | Sandra Henry
Winter’s cold silence
coats the slumbering trees
in a grey stillness.
Nature’s breath lingers
like a dull haze
hanging in the chilly air.
Droplets of ice form
like crystal beads
hanging from the branches’ tips.
Not a sound is heard
nor is anything stirring
in the frozen calm.
Breathe in this icy peace
For soon it will melt and seep back
into the pulsing veins of life.
Stray the Cup | Susan N. Aassahde
Beef of custody prune
the direction of rumour;
toll shuttle pedestrian
lob the hollow scout,
kiln delay spotlight.
Try | Langley Shazor
Let us coexist
Helping everyone we can
It’s never too late
This life can be saved
We all can make it better
Let’s make the effort