“You never really understand a person until you consider things
from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in
it.” To Kill a Mockingbird ~ Harper Lee
I’ve stripped to my bones
to try and feel the weight
of another’s skin, crawled
out of my own thinking
to explore foreign thoughts
alien to the landscape I’ve
made my home.
In the brine of history
my spirit burns with the scars
of those shackled to prejudice.
The walk of chains allows only
as much freedom as the length
inhuman allows it to roam.
In the everything repeated nothing learned
anger blooms from the same well-tended root
of hate’s tree never pruned.
I walk the cliff edge of hymns where
the slave song is now a chant,
“No Justice No peace.”
In a savage shaking I awaken in my privilege,
look down at my skin, and know nothing
will change if I remain content to live
in my city of silence.
Utterly beautiful Susie! True heart and wisdom rings from each line. Too many wonderful lines to quote but that last line is amazing! Powerful poem! My Muse poem for this week, touches on this a bit too. Certainly something weighing on many hearts these days. 💔
ReplyDeleteIn my city of silence .... a most sobering way to end this beautifully composed poetry.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful poem. The last two stanzas are especially gripping, and we none of us must remain in our city of silence.
ReplyDeleteThe "brine of history" is a wonderful way to describe it. And the "city of silence" is where so many of us have lived for too long.
ReplyDeleteThis is intense. To me, the first stanza is especially well written.
ReplyDeleteIt takes a lot of wisdom to understand that there will be some things that are almost impossible to understand unless you've lived them too. But that's OK. We always have the option to make space for people to tell their truths, and to really listen when they speak, and to make sure that we don't preserve toxic silences just because some truths are uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, very thought-provoking. I love the raw honesty.
ReplyDeleteWell said indeed, SC. Congrats.
ReplyDeleteI especially liked:
In the everything repeated nothing learned
anger blooms from the same well-tended root
of hate’s tree never pruned.
It takes a special sort of mind and heart to look and see (and feel) the true nature of horrors that aren't personal to them. It takes the sort of mind our world needs, especially these days.
ReplyDeleteI really like that the speaker makes it known from the very beginning that the process of seeing and accepting and doing something won't be easy. Change is a comfortable thing. Neither is inaction, as the last stanza shows so vividly.