Free Verse Poem by Dee Allen
Try as devils might
To change the look of
The big picture
Passing itself off as a democracy,
THEY CAN'T REMOVE US ALL.
For the longest time,
They have used
Abandonment
Brutality
Criminalisation
Displacement
Enslavement
Force-fed false history
Gentrification
Harassment
Intoxication
Jokes told—spite in disguise
Ku Klux flaming cross night-rides
Lust towards our grrrls & women
Mass murder
Negation of our views
Or
Police intimidation
Queens' African beauty devalued
Religion—Christianity passed down by Pilgrims
Sterilisation
Terrorism
Unity broken
Vicious discrimination
White imperialism
X out credit for our contributions
Youth killed before age 25
Z—last letter—last considered, 1st targeted
All the tricks implemented
On us & yet
Our people are still mating.
Our women are still breeding.
Our people are still here.
Our culture is still here.
WE HAVE OVERCOME
Endeavours by devils
To whittle our number
To nothing—
WE HAVE OVERCOME.
It's been a long, arduous walk
On the road to progress.
Reacting to muscle memory,
Hurtling over
Obstacles we didn't design
Over time—
We look forward
To thriving in
The next 400 yrs.
& what they may bring.
We look forward
To days of joy, seeking pleasure we deserve
Not to forget about oppression,
But to surmount oppression
Before it regains ground
To conquer spirit
By having
The best times of our lives.
Be loud,
Be lively,
Be talented
Because
THEY CAN'T SILENCE US ALL.
WE HAVE OVERCOME.
& whenever possible,
We'll do it again.W: Martin Luther King Birthday 2023
[ For Rawle James, Lantern Carrier, S’phongo, Zomkhonto, Elemen2al,
Midnight, Rosegold, Stacy Ardis Dyson and Zita Holbourne. ]
Dee Allen is an African-Italian performance poet based in Oakland, California. Author of 7 books and 67 anthology appearances. Currently seeking a new publisher to transform his finished manuscript into a finished, printed 8th book.
