Life's Matters - A Poem

Dedicated to the memory of a generation of lost souls trying to find our way back.

Life's Matters

This is not about race, but about the races.

Souls in stasis, Beat faces, twisted social graces and excuses

Everyday the ancestors screaming “you ain’t dreaming”,

But you beauties sleeping, creeping,

In the devils sh!t,

Smeared so thick, you believe in it

And they’re relentless on repeat,

Business reaping souls is no mean feat

So colors trends friends and likes

A barrage of lies to bend the psyche

Blurred lines between the wrongs and your rights

Oh how in these times the day escapes the night

At least that’s what they’d have us believe

Weak, soulless, lost leaders have us to deceive

What a tangled web we weave

What a legacy we leave

Now, we race to riot in the streets

“Blacklives matter!” we entreat

“Blacklives matter!” they repeat

Oh how the sheeple bleat

A different melody today

From the vows made yesterday.

Before life got so dread,

They said

“Inject us

So we don’t become infectious.

Please take our cash for stuff, things, goods

Please send it to our neighborhood

We’ll eat sh!t from people who refuse their own food

And pose our women in the nude

Let our daughters wear your hair

Bleach their skin so they’re more fair

Than they were born

Let our sons themselves adorn,

And the selfie to adore,

And the mirror they pose before

Each uniquely and differently

In the same style gear as he

In the same haircut as me

Striking the same pose as she

Wearing the same clothes as we

We will let go, let your matrix do its thing

We prefer not to think, so

We’ll talk and eat and drink what you tell us

We’ll walk and deal and steal like you taught us

We’ll ply and lie with smiles when they’ve caught us

And you make an example of us cos you wrought us

To hold on at all costs to the likes, the friends

The image the trends

Of making a movie of our ends

A knee on our neck surrounded by friends

Holding the camera watching the action

And shouting words of direction

All sinners not one stone cast

Not a bottle, nor piece a glass

Not one in the crowd to rush their ass

Try to strike a blow, duck and pass

Now you think you’ve been awakened

You are so mistaken

Gil Scott Heron said it wise

This will not be televised

So stop watching.

Start thinking

For yourself

Take the grey matter off the shelf

Unplug yourself, detatch, debug

Because as long as you’re inert in the hug

Of the matrix

You will never fix

Our lives mattered since ever since b

When our ancestry took gifts for our slavery

when we watched and heard and saw us get beat

And kept working and smiled as they tried to defeat

Us, Just so we keep collecting a wage

We let go and let them manage

Our hair, health, wealth and complexion

Spit in god face wrong direction

Now we hate ourselves from the inside out

Too blind to ask what that’s about

Meantime we stayed resolute in our cause

Side stepping our efforts to give us pause

No! You pause! With your idle chatter

We live and we know that our lives matter

Comments

Toni Newton (author) from Barbados, W.I. on January 17, 2021:

Wow. You gentlemen are so generous. Thank you so much for your comments. I am new to this world, so I am very humbled by your attention.

This piece is kinda heavy for some...but writing it helped me a great deal and I am hoping that it will inspire some of us separate from this toxic place we're in today.

John Hansen from Gondwana Land on January 17, 2021:

What a powerful piece of poetry, Toni. Sounded like the best rap song I have ever heard in my head. You certainly have a way with words and for getting a point across. Loved it.

manatita44 from london on January 17, 2021:

Just so you know, I go to about 20 different Zoom poetry events. There's one called Grassroots (On Facebook), where your poetry would go down very well, as there's a lot of social justice in it.

Zoom you can do, in the comfort of your home. In fact I have 3 this week and if you are interested, I can give you details.

Your poetry is beautiful and exquisite, but it's what I did a long time ago. Now I return to them for Slams (Poetry competitions) or Black History Month.

We may still be able to work together though, I need to bring out my book called 'Blossoms of The Heart and from your bio, you have strengths I lack. A pleasure to meet another fellow West Indian. Much Love.