Fresh-Fallen Snow
My mother talks of grief
Like it's fresh snow
That's fallen on your sweater
You can simply brush it away
Or let it melt
Either way,
It won't last very long
A temporary thing that
One must let go
For me grief is an ocean
With turbulent tides
Of overwhelming moments
And calm waters
Of peaceful contemplation
It is never ending
Always turning always changing
You can try to push away the waves
But they will find their way back to the shore
It is easier to learn to float
And let it take you where it wills
My mother has attempted
To contain her oceans
And she views that as a strength
I'm sorry that she cannot see
The beauty in the grief
The absolute humanity
Or grieving over loss
Of remembering what has been
And what would never come
I'm grateful for my ocean heart
That ripples with a drop
That loves so deeply
One cannot measure its depth
One that can both ebb and flow
To know both pain and joy
At the same time
I'm grateful for the never ending tides
The constant give and take
The all consuming moments
Where the Earth could almost shake
And the quiet moments of stillness
Where everything's okay
One does not have to
Wipe away the grief
One can let it be
Forever if they'd like
Because storms will always happen
Even if the sky is clear
And tides will keep on turning
Even when nobody's there
Your heart will not stop loving
Even if your love's not here
I hope this helps you
Accept your grief
Like the ocean waves
That wash up on the beach
With every breath
We become something new
There's power in grief
And there's power in you
40 Sleepless Nights
Dear Lord
It has been 40 days
And 40 sleepless nights
Dear Lord
We've all been praying hard
For something to go right
Dear Lord
We've learned our lesson now
You can clear the flood
Bring us doves and olive leaves
And rainbows from above
Dear Lord
Haven't they passed your test
And shown You of their faith?
Unwavering and never faltering
No matter what You take away
Dear Lord
I'm trying very hard
To trust in Your divine plan
Dear Lord
Why did they have to die
For the sins of their fellow man?
Dear Lord
Are You a just God?
Will they get what they deserve?
Dear Lord
I pray You bless them
And show them all Your worth
Dear Lord
It has been 40 days
And 40 sleepless nights
They've proven they're Your children
So protect them with Your light
White Privileged Fences
Ignorance is bliss
To only those who sit
In the comfort of white
Privileged fences
You cannot pretend
That you're better than them
While you perpetuate hate
Under guise of "just rest"
Looking away
Won't erase what's been done
But it will make it easier
To forget it's all wrong
To forget that your neighbours
Don't just live down the block
If we don't care for our people
There's no reason to stop
Power will keep tripping
Bombs will be still dropped and
Our families will keep on dying
Unless we all take watch
Stare at it until it hurts
Because it fucking should
Bear witness to the wounds that you
Ignored like they didn't exist
I feel each shockwave
It rips through my soul
My ancestors are mourning
They beg for no more
No more babies should die and
No more parents should cry
No more prayers said at night
Asking just to survive
It shouldn't be radical
For our future to be
Bright, full of hope
And empathy
For no human is free
Until we all are you see
There's no celebrating life
While killing carelessly
The blood on our hands
Will never run clean
Yet we keep on cheering
For the "American Dream"
For ignorance is bliss
For only those that sit
In the comfort of white
Privileged fences
#FreePalestine
Don’t Forget to Remember
You don't have to move
All the mountains at once
It's okay to take breaks
My love
Life's not a sprint
But rather a dance
Sometimes you take
And others you give
Learning to balance
Your needs from your wants
Takes more than just patience,
Resilience and trust
That you're going
The way towards your luck
You'll get there in time
Believe this you must
Love Is a Metaphor
If love is a dance
I've got two left feet
Don't know the rhythm
And can't find the beat
If love is a game
I've been benched from the start
Despite wanting to play
I can never take part
If love is a battlefield
I've taken far too many wounds
Everyone's left me
With another excuse
And if love's worth losing
Why am I so fucking scared of letting go
See I don't think love
Is quite so poetic, you know
If love were a fire
It'd be an unstoppable blaze
A fine wine
That knows how to age
If love is a lemon
Both bitter and sweet
Does that mean love
Is your heart skipping beats?
And love is a drug
That gets you hooked the first time
Nothing ever tastes good enough
Convincing yourself that "it's fine"
A whirlwind full of quicksand
That you're desperately trying to keep and
You're gripping, and ripping, praying for this
While it's casually slipping through your hands
Is that love?
Is that what we wanted?
It seems that this love
Shouldn't be quite so hard then