Poetry

October 19, 2018 Poetry , POETRY / FICTION

CBP photo

 

By

Dee Allen

 

 

 

Split

 

 

Children

Under silver

Thermal blankets

Don’t

 

Belong in

Cages any

More than

Cats, rabbits

 

Or their

Own parents.

 

The presidency

Wants more

Prisoners between

Blood generations.

 

Over 2700

Justifications

In filling

Potentially building

 

Detention centres

Ad nauseum.

 

Uncontrollable

Crying

Of children

At the border

 

Forcibly split

From their elders

By arms

Border Patrol strong

 

Sounds like family stability

Ending.

 

Half gets

Foster care

In foreign homes.

Half gets

 

Sudden

Return to

The Southern

Hell they escaped.

 

The presidency sends their loud, collective message

To all migrants resolute in staying together:

 

“Cross a river,

Cross a desert,

By-pass our

National fence,

 

Come over here

Looking for asylum

And you and yours

Are good as split!”

 

 

 

 

 

Concrete Altar

 

 

Black lives

Don’t matter

To the C.O.

Walking the cell-block.

 

Black lives

Matter less

To the salty

Beat-cop patrolling the ‘hood, squadcar on prowl.

 

Black lives

Don’t matter

To the vigilante

Bigot gone hunting for heads darker than his.

 

Black lives

Matter less

To sharp steel

Unprovoked

 

Insane wrath thrust

Into young

Necks on

A subway train platform.

 

One female left wounded. Her sister

Never saw past 18.

 

MacArthur B.A.R.T.*

Past sundown:

Gleaming candles, flowers & photos,

Altar formed over concrete.

People, victim’s family gathered

Among blaring Hip Hop tracks

And wall projections of little

 

Light-skinned Nia

In happier times, the

Look of another adolescent

In love

With life

 

Demanded a justice for her

None of them knew.

 

Protect your necks.

Protect each other,

Little sisters

And brothers.

 

 

 

[For Nia Wilson—2000-2018]

 

*Bay Area Rapid Transit

 

 

 

 

 

Dee Allen

African-Italian performance poet based in Oakland, California. Active on the creative writing & Spoken Word tips since the early 1990s. Author of 3 books [Boneyard, Unwritten Law and Stormwater, all from POOR Press] and 15.5. anthology appearances [including Poets 11: 2014, Feather Floating On The Water, Rise, Your Golden Sun Still Shines and the newest from MoonShine Star Company, What Is Love] under his figurative belt so far.

Dee Allen is in the process of producing his upcoming 4th volume of poetry entitled Skeletal Black.

Editor review

1 Comment

  1. Jack October 19, at 23:20

    Wonderful political poetry - very succinct, very true, very appalling.

    Reply

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