A decision

So I made a decision that instead of doing a second blog that runs parallel to this one (that'd be rather excessive), I'm going to reserve this blog for my poetry.

The first time I ever performed any of my poetry was this past weekend at uNAVSA-5. It inspired me to keep writing and keep performing. So this is where I'll be keeping most of my shiz, y'all. Come back soon!

Here is a copy of the poem I performed at the conference:

Tear Down the Wall
(written in Berlin, August 2007)

Once upon a time in 1961
In Berlin they constructed a Wall.
It dichotomized east and west, father and son,
Old and new, violence and peace,
And it took 28 years to fall.

2,000 miles of a concrete mess
Of barbed wire laden with hate
2,000 miles of ignorance solidified
At the start, it was already too late.

The children, they wondered,
And their parents thundered
Rejecting the Wall from their lives
But in the end they had no choice
And muted their own voice
Though the silence pierced like knives

Some attempted escape
Leapt a leap of faith
But apparently faith doesn't carry far enough
Others bled, bled, and bled
Thew up the lies they were fed
Yet still others instead
Ended up beaten, shot, tortured, dead

And so, Reagan stood up and said

Tear down this wall! Tear down your walls!
Tear them down before they're even built
Tear down the wall! Tear down the wall!
Tear it down from inside yourself.

Yet another lesson taught by Old Man History
Another evil once upon a time defeated
Another ardent speaker reminding us how hatred can be deep seated
But I ask you now, my listeners,
Could it possibly be repeated?

(Yes.)

Have we bridged the gaps, uNAVSA?
Do we continue to build walls ourselves?
Not of mortar, concrete, bricks, or stones
But within our minds, our hearts, our flesh, our bones?
I open my eyes and look around
And see the Berlin Wall at our feet on the ground
I step over the rubble, cautiously treading over it piece after piece
However, I quickly realized it's not as I perceived
For it is just that- peace - that is yet to be achieved.

Let us not replace a divided east and west
With a divided north and south
Let us look to the future with optimism
And never allow ourselves to cash out
If we make the division within ourselves
Then the rest of the world is to follow
I challenge you to convince me
That our generation's cause is firm, not hollow

I am a child of many diaspora
Raised by parents who fled, dared, tried, and could
And if this is America, and America is free
Then my words today are understood
America, America
Step up to your decree
Make the most of what you're given each day
From sea to shining sea
My travels have brought me far from home
And then back from sights worth seeing
But the most invaluable thing I've learned from being away
Is that no matter what, no matter where, no matter how
You'll always meet human beings.

So take some time to digest
And whet your appetite for change

Then I ask of you, implore you
To tear down the wall! Tear down the wall!
Tear it down from inside yourself
Tear down the wall! Tear down the wall!
Tear it down before it's even built.