reckoning

allieotrope:

ive got fists for lips so lean on in and steal a kiss. ive got double jaws like a snake just so i can say things LOUDER. im a megaphone. im a metronome. ive got braided bones. IM AMAZING. no one can save me. i am the product of my environment and im soaring.

I BALLED MY FIST AND SAID:

they cannot say that these things have not been done to me
because they have

when they have lived my life

then,
they can judge.

so keep whispering and making me into something unlike yourself

but remember, the only difference between VICTIM and NOT

is time and chance
with a little bit of luck.

and i’ll tell you what,
i am strong. (because others cannot be)
i survive. (to show that it can be done)
i speak out. (because my silence would be complicit)
and i will no longer apologize for your discomfort
at being faced
with the systematic destruction
of our
children
THE ANSWER IS A LOUD AND INSISTENT NO

say it for those who cannot open their mouths to speak
open your mouth because you have the luxury
of safely
doing so

tilt your head towards the sky and shout

like moses to pharaoh

you must let my children go

one of my favorite poems by one of my favorite people.