| Understand Understand that humans are flawed Understand that I am flawed Understand that dreamers have a place in society because without them there is no hope Understand that art can be the way you live your life Understand that the playing field is not a playing field and will never be level because life isn't a game Understand that great wealth is often created by great suffering of the poor Understand that God is within you and you are within God Understand that Native Americans are the only ones in America who have a right to complain about immigration Understand that race is a lie that props up hate, inequality and separation of the human family Understand that I am one generation away from a society that subjected my father to apartheid in Rhodesia Understand that I have been the target of hate speech from a fellow 4th grader on a basketball court in elementary school in Milford, Ohio and that was the first time racism showed its face to me Understand that in 47 years half of America's residents will be of multiethnic, Latino, African or Asian descent Understand that "exotic" as a label for a human being is a slur against their humanity Understand that everyone is mixed\ Understand that mixed relates to culture, history, genes and spirituality Understand that this Earth is the only home we have Understand that Creation is not ours to exploit and desecrate Understand that we are all borne of a woman Understand that life is short Understand that tomorrow may never come Understand that thought is radiance and we should let our thoughts shine for the world to see Understand that peace cannot be enforced, only lived by the masses Understand that money in excess is greed Understand that there is more to a situation than just right and wrong Understand that words can hurt Understand that words can heal Understand that there is more to Black people than slavery, Martin Luther King Jr., BET, soul food and rap Understand that we live on stolen land Understand that junk food tastes so good because it's bad for you Understand that sexuality is not a choice Understand that children are our reason to make it better Understand that love is within our reach Understand that we are all Afrikans Understand that to educate is to bless Understand that there is more to me than meets the eye. Understand. |
| This poem is about my thoughts on the importance of telling the truth about American history, using the American flag as a metaphor for the horrific reality about the story of our nation. |
| Revised Red, White and Blue The blue field is the ocean of sorrow that carried and swallowed bound Black bodies to 300 years of building American wealth Fifty stars of whiteness for the slaveowning men who grew fat from the labour of Africa's children Red stripes are blood running like ribbons of flesh from a whipped Black back Red stripes are blood running from the bodies of the brave Native ones killed in massacre after genocidal massacre White stripes are turned vertical as massive columns of marble Encircling plantation houses across the south and in our own Capitol The Big White House on the Hill built by the Black hands that stitch everything together. Revised Red, White and Blue This story of America isTrue |
| This poem is about the tradition of giving diamonds between a couple in a relationship. I have learned that many diamonds that flood the U.S. jewelry market are from Central Africa which is involved in a lot of civil war, and the mining of diamonds there funds war and uses child slavery to devastate the Earth in the search for these rocks. In a way I'm trying to talk about the importance of love over the possession of diamonds that cost human lives. |
| Sparkle I don't need that diamond's sparkle to show me that you love me Or when you ask me to stay with you for life Don't give me that rock to reflect the depths of your heart That rock was torn from our Mother Earth by the tired hands of Africans The sparkle is blood red to me I don't need a diamond to sparkle To show me that you care The only sparkle I need is the light of your eyes The only glimmer I need is the sunshine on the morning water that we'll walk beside The only light I need is your face alive with adoration when you look at me Diamonds may be a girl's best friend But a woman's best friends are the rays of love and the shimmer of a simple life |