Awake (Spoken Word)
Are you weary in your fight for social justice, racial reconciliation, or understanding?This spoken word poem is for you: An encouragement to keep pressing.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTwfWYKLdME
Video courtesy of Sean Loftin and Ubertonic Films.
Post image credit: Gavin Whitner
AwakeBy: Mazaré RogersYou havebags under your eyesbags the size of bouldersshoulders slumpedheavy head hanging lowyour breathing,shallow and slowbody bent crookedfrom carrying a movementfor too long.You’ve mustered the strengthto meet my gazeyour eyelids flutteringbroken shutters strugglingto stay awakeyour pupils hollow like caves.I know that face.It mirrors mine.You are tired.Tired of talkingabout race,of hearingBlack this,White that,Mike Brown,Freddie Gray,Pavement dripping redas another unarmedblack man is killedAnd then anotherunarmed black man is killedAnd today the news anchor relayedthat yet anotherunarmed black manhas been slain.The daily replay of gunplayplagues me.Young boyplaying tag with the lawgot tagged from a distanceShot while turned and running,Harmlessor shot while standingstill on a cornerwhile drinking a glass of waterWhile talking on the phoneor mowing the lawnor maybe shotnot while doing anybody harm,but just beingShot while sleeping,because everybody knowsit’s illegal for a black boy to be dreaming.The media’sgot our emotionson this bullet traincircling the track,following all the cops’ bulletsleaving barrels headed for Blacks.First stop,outrage.Then sorrow.Next minute,we’re down the hill into hopelessnessand it takes days to get back upthe hill to hope for tomorrow.I’m ready to quit,ready to chuck thissocial justicethrowback to the 60snonsense.We marchWe chantWe singWe link armsWe love hardAnd for what?For naught?For naught.For naught?What if it’s not?What ifwe’re doing somethingbig,kingdom-sizedbut it’s only traceable on a microscopic leveland we would need God’s lenses to measurehow many opposing racial atoms are bonding togetherwith every protest,every banner,every sit-in, die-in,one-on-one conversationvigil, conference, festival,song, poem, painting.Every second of our daysGod is at work.How do we know?He’s the Godof the mustard seed,the two mites,and the sparrows.So although we are dog tired,we mustkeep running,keep fighting,keep loving,keep writing,and staying awake.