by redclay | Jan 2, 2020 | Creative Writing, Detention Center Writing Contests, Poetry
A Black Boy Born the Fall of 1980, What is Blackness
Aaron Connelley
Heard/Arlington County Detention Facility writing contest, August 2019
A proud influence and example of success gained was right in front of me the whole time, Blackness.
The Contrast of a Gold Nugget Watch against Midnight black skin
was a silent way to say I’m Proud
even though times for me have been trying.
The Black suit work to work
The Polished dress shoes
The Pride earned from years of hard investments
The limousine drove for a successful thriving Black Owned Business
For me to Embrace a Culture which has produced
Generation to Generation of Strength by
Standing on Faith and the Strong Willpower of Black Men/Women
with tight jaws facing injustices, that smile even though,
is my pain misunderstood also silent.
A lot has been unsaid.
Schools filtered what about my Blackface,
the sufferage, the Family dynamic that was disrupted and broken
enslaved never to be set Free
also to be Equal given a fair change after Emancipation.
No one wanted to explain the reason I was found in a common law adoption
probably never to know of the Lands of Ancestors originated.
The truth that they were brought Literally to an adopted Land themselves.
The Gold bracelet that was worn on the right wrist
A picture, Black & White of a Mother and Father posing side by side unsmiling.
Their chocolate skin draped in the nicest dress wear
A Black couple could obtain in the year, 1912
A Dollar Bill Enclosed inside the frame below
Serious melancholy Faces which sat atop a Bookshelf
Inside the zen inside our home
A lighter Hue my own complexion told Another secret.
Never, was I told I was weaker or that success couldn’t be mine.
This Ethnicity I Embrace, my Blackness
For all the unknown Silent messages
my immaturity wouldn’t allow the communication
from one Generation to the next did I miss a lesson, yes.
While I grow with interest for coming Generations
kissed with a Blackface,
concerned because the struggles will be real,
beginning to Erase ignorance within myself I too must pass on
A Silent message through action and example
Rather than not tell colored babies about their Black History,
Strengthen their knowledge about the Building Blocks
which from visions formed
the Pyramids in Africa
to the design of stones used to create the Washington Monuments
created within Black and Proud Minds
Rather than hold back because of Pain or Hurt.
Let’s empower the strength the Negro Skin exemplifies.
The Sacrifices, the torn Backs, the inequalities, the non-violent movements
in time against a Profound ignorance,
the stands took, the sit downs to disrupt injustice
was the Silent Cry in the Eyes of A Black Proud Man
right in front of me the whole time,
Blackness
I Ask that you Smile knowing the Silent message has been discovered…
by redclay | Dec 20, 2019 | Detention Center Writing Contests, Poetry
THEN (IMAGINARY TALE PART I)
Sascha C.
Heard/Alexandria Detention Center writing contest, August, 2019
THEN & NOW
I CONSIDER ‘R ROOTZ
WHO WE’VE BECOME
FROM WHAT WE’VE BEEN THRU
HOW WE SHAPE ‘R SELVEZ
TO BE AMUSED
WE ARE THE ANIMALZ
EACH A ZOO
FATHER GOD
SET HIS PERSONAL STAGE
WHY YA WERE BORN
IS WHERE YA’VE BEEN PLACED
WHEN HIS SETTINGZ SHIFT
ADAPT EACH PHASE
IMAGINARY TALE
WILL DISPLAY:
“CREATION” & “BIG BANG” SEEM TO MEAN THA SAME TING
THAT @ FIRST WE WERE LIGHT THEN WE CHANGED CYCLICALLY
WITHIN FORCEZ & FORMZ WE’D GENERATE ATOMZ
HOW THIS LOOKED OR PLAYED OUT I CAN’T EVEN FATHOM
THA MORE SHIT KEPT SPREAD’N THA CLOSER WE TETHERED
PARTICLEZ BROUGHT SUBTANCE, EXPLOSIONZ & WEATHER
NEXT MOLECULEZ EMERGED & WE COMMENCED TO LEARN
JUS MOVE’N & EAT’N AS THA MELT’N POT CHURNED
THA MOMENT WE COMBINED & WORKED IN ONE BODY
BACTERIA DAWNED, WE GREW & SPAWNED COPIEZ
ALGAE & FUNGI WERE ‘R FAM’S INITIAL SPLIT
SO THA FOOD & THA FED INTERCHANGEABLY SWITCHED
WE STARTED AS SPONGEZ THEN FISH FURNISHED FACEZ
DIRECT’N ‘R MOTIONZ TOWARD KELP RICH PLACEZ
ARTHROPODZ PAVED THA WAY, FROM THA OCEAN THEY BURST
WALK’N THRU OUT THA WORLD SOW’N PLANT’N IN THA DIRT
AMPHIBIANZ CAUSED SEEDZ WHEN WE ELEVATED
AS REPTILEZ WE PROSPERED THEN GOT DEVASTATED
WE FLOURISHED AS MAMMALZ, SPORT’N FUR ON ‘R HIDEZ
FLOWERZ ADORNED REGIONZ WHILE THA BIRDZ FLEW ON HIGH
PRIMATEZ PRODUCED THUMBZ WHICH PROVOKED US TO USE TOOLZ
& SO WE’D GATHER FRUITZ, HUNT MEATZ & COLLECT JEWELZ
@ LAST SOMETHING ELSE CHANGED; WE BECAME SAPIENT
LANGUAGE, SHELTER & FIRE MADE US FEEL RADIANT
LOOK’N BACC
UNDERSTAND’N ‘R PAST
WHAT STICCZ TOGETHA
IS ALL THAT LASTZ
ALSO IT’S TRUE
IF WE FNA THRIVE
WE’LL EACH SERVE ‘R OWN
STRIVE & SURVIVE
BEEN A LONG ROAD
’TIL WE BECAME US
SEX, DRUGZ & FIGHTZ
WE DO AS WE MUST
STAY ENTERTAINED
AMID THA CHAOS
LIFE IS A GAME
EACH TURN A COIN TOSS
NOW (IMAGINARY TALE PART II)
IF THEY LET ME CODE HEAVEN
IT’D BE A DOPE ASS PLACE
YA COULD JUS FUCC THA BADDEST BITCH
OR TRY OUT EVERY FACE
LIKE TV YOU’D SEE EVERYTHING
EVERYONE EVER DID
FIND OUT FORM THAT UNREQUITTED LOVE
WHAT MADE HER TICC?
YA COULD HEAR HOW YO HEROEZ
BROUGHT THEMSELVEZ OUTTA BED
EXPERIENCE’N LIVEZ
OF THOSE THAT ARE DEAD
PAINT YO PLACEBO
IT’S YO WORK OF ART
YA GET WHATCHU BELIEVE IN
@ THAT END OF YO PART
I’D CHITCHAT WITH ADAM Iraq 8000 BC
‘BOUT HOW HE CYPHERED WORDZ
& ASK ENOCH HOW THA HELL Ethiopia 6000 BC
HE TRANSCENDED THIS EARTH
OR SEE EVERYONE DIE Turkey 4500 BC
AS NOAH REIGNED FORTY DAYZ
WEIGH THA GODZ BE’N BHRGU India 3600 BC
THEN RESHAPE THA RACE
GO FISH’N WITH FUXI China 2700 BC
OBSERVE’N HIS WAYZ
STARGAZE AS ZOROASTER Iran 1800 BC
& PUT TIME INTO SPACE
MOSES THA BIG ONE 1200 BC
HOW’D HE MERGE ALL ‘M HOODZ?
SPARK LIKE EIGHT WITH BUDDHA Napal 600 BC
LEARN’N WHAT HE UNDERSTOOD
JESUS MANIGGA Israel 0
WERE YOU REALLY WHITE?
WITH MUHAMMAD HIT GHAZIS Saudi Arabia 600 AD
EXCITE A NATION OF MIGHT
LIVE THA GLORY OF GHENGHIS Mongolia 1200 AD
& PHILOSOPHIZE
SEE MAYER COME UP Germany 1800 AD
AS HIS ROTHSCHILDZ RISE
ONCE REALITY BLANDZ
THRU ALL THIS KNOWLEDGE
I’D EXPLORE POSSIBILITIEZ
GO DOWN EVERY RIDGE
CONQUESTZ WITH THA BOYZ
MY GIRL & NO JAIL
PUZZL TOGETHA MY BEST LIFE
HOP IN & SAIL
CLOSE WITH A THOUSAND YEARZ
OF ECSTASY & BLISS
NIRVANA THEN COMEZ
& I’D HIT THA SWITCH
AN ATHEIST HEAVEN
A FINAL RELEASE
TO FEEL THA CONCLUSION
ETERNAL PEACE
DREAMS (IMAGINARY TALE PART III)
HOW SHOULD WE LIVE?
WHAT IS THA MEAN’N?
WHO CAN WE HELP?
WH ARE WE FIEND’N?
WHERE’S IT ALL GO’N?
WHEN WILL THIS ALL END?
STRUGGLE’N TO TRIUMPH
FOR WHAT THO, MY FRIEND?
INDIVIDUAL AIMZ ARE TO
ISOLATE
MORAL AIMZ ARE TO
GATHER & SHARE ‘R PLATEZ
COSMIC AIMZ ARE TO
GROW, LIVE & THEN DIE
FULLFILLMENT ARRIVEZ
AS DREAMS HARMONIZE
LET’S TAKE A STEP & LOOK INTO THA FUTURE
‘BOUT ONE HUNNIT YEARZ & WE’LL HAVE ONE PRODUCER
NO JOBZ FOR ANYONE SO TO BE MADE USE OF
WE’D SELL ‘R SOULZ AS FUEL FOR A MATRIX COMPUTER
WE’D CLIMB TO THA LIMITZ LIKE WE ON A LADDER
DIMENSIONAL TILL’N INTO MINDZ & IN MATTER
’TIL AUTONOMY’S REQUIRED WE’D BE A BLACK HOLE
EITHER IT POPZ OR WE EAT THA SUN, THEN WHAT’S ‘R GOAL?
MINE AWAY ALL THA PLANETZ, UNVERSEZ THEN COSMOZ
BIGGER & BIGGER ‘R STRUCTURE WOULD COMPOST
WE’D JUS KEEP EAT’N & GROW, USE’N ALL WE AVAIL
BIDE’N BY MOTHER NATURE TO BEGIN HER EXHALE
‘R FABRIC WOULD THEN FLIP, THA EXPANSE WOULD REVERSE
THIS IS WHAT THEY MEAN WITH EACH DOOMSDAY CURSE
COULD WE ORGANIZE ‘R SELVEZ SO ON THA RESET
WHEN REALITY STARTZ TO TAKE HER NEXT BREATH
EVERYTHING IN ITZ PLACE & SHOULD BE @ ITZ BEST
‘R PROWESS IN THIS RESPECT WOULD BE ‘R TEST
BUT HOPE MAY BE FOUND IN THA FRACTIONZ OF MATH
WE’D DECODE THA BIG BANG, WRITE VARIATIONZ OF PATHZ
WE’D MAKE SMALLER BANGZ THAT’D HAPPEN MUCH QUICC’R
& ESCAPE FROM THA END LIKE WE DRUNK OFF THA LIQUOR
APPETITEZ & ADVERTUREZ, WE’D PERSIST TO SUBSIST
SPIRAL’N ETERNALLY; CHASE’N A WILL TO EXIST
IGNORANCE PROVIDEZ TRUTH
YO SEARCH CANNOT CEASE
FEAR PROVEZ USE
YA LIVE TO APPEASE
VANITY PROVIDEZ VIRTUE
EXAGERATE YO PROJECTION
SUFFER’N PROVIDEZ LOVE
WIN YO SELECTION
DENOTATION
RECATION
ENGAGEMENT
ACHIEVEMENT
MEANING
SOVEREIGNTY
WITHIN THIS FINAL STATEMENT
RECEIVE MY RECIPE
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