Monday, July 22, 2013

My 15 year old Son

As a friend said recently
I'm not trying to be smug
And it's not that I don't care
It's just that it's all been said
Time And Time Again
The question remains
What do we do





My 15 year old son
My African American son
My African American Teenage son
Called me last night
And we talked
About stuff
And it was good
And my love for HIM
Grew Deeper
Surprising me
For it had already been the deepest thing I'd ever known

We talked about
Police
We talked about
Being aware
We talked about
The white neighborhood where he lives

We talked

We talked about
His girlfriend
And football camp
We talked about his job

We talked

"Police"
"Be aware"
"Live"

And we hung up
And I was left
Grateful
And Fearful
And sad

For my son
My African American Teenage Son
Lives in a world
Where he will never be allowed
To just be.

Monday, July 1, 2013

This Piece Of Road






Oh Lord, Lord, Lord...
This piece of road is cobbled like my heart today
Is empty like my stomach
Is steep like the cliffs in my eyes
Falling
Rolling
Down.

Oh Lord, Lord, Lord...
This piece of road seems  not walkable today
It pushes up
Heavy against the bottoms of my feet
Hidden shards of broken bottles
Cut me
Again and again
And Again

(written back in March (i think) while in Milwaukee)