if you have not heard about the case of Troy Davis yet, here is a video that i found to be informative and creative.
the poem that i am posting is not specifically about troy davis or about the case, but it is about the work that activists need to do. i believe that use of the death penalty is always a human rights violation. Some great fact sheets explaining why can be found here. as a country we are far away from abolishing it. thus, step by step we can and will change the system that fails to promote justice and peace…
one step
© 2002 by margaux delotte-bennett
stepping
stepping out into the possibilities
leaping on top of the dream that says
my pockets don’t need to be empty
stomach full of growls
eyes hiding my silent prayer
“maybe this empty boiling pot will lull them to sleep?”
“maybe they won’t notice that I only eat what they leave behind?”
“maybe this can plus those won’t leave them feeling empty today?”
stomach full of growls…
stepping
marching
demanding to be seen and understood
one step for each child without lunch in school
(the programs are supposed to leave no child behind)
one step for each unpaid doctor’s bill
home remedies that we can still afford
one step for each inaccessible job readiness program
in a language or location that leaves hands ties
stepping
marching for justice with peace
a peace that can be translated into any language, gender,
socio-economic ladder without the missing rungs
stepping
marching
one step for the churches picking up where the government has failed
one step for the communities loving, living, working together
one step for the Kensington Welfare Rights Union
one step for the Friends and Residents of Arthur Capper/Carrollsburg
one step for Amnesty International
one step for the organizations in our hearts
just waiting to be born out of this move
meant to connect us socially, politically, economically, civically,
culturally defined as
eyes open
hearts wide
hands raised in prayer
for the ones who didn’t make it to today
we are walking
we are marching
we are stepping
for our lives.
wow. The end of this challenge is so close I can taste it! What a month it has been! I’ve was blessed with lots of inspiration, even if I haven’t had the time to bring it all to life. Writing poetry will always be a way for me to process, explore, and understand my world.
Today piece is inspired by my neighborhood. It is a very rough draft, but I’m happy with how it is coming along…
Helicopters
(C) 2011 by margaux delotte-bennett
Helicopters in the ‘hood
Never good
Chopping through dreams
Hovering above and
Searching for
Whatever they have in store
For black boys on the run
Some mama’s son
Trying to wear a big man’s shoes
Sure to lose
Helicopters in the ‘hood
Never good
Piercing sounds
Blinding lights
Due process out of sight and mind
On the search until it finds you
And reminds you
Of your place
Often based on race and class
You better run fast
Helicopters in the ‘hood
Never good
For those folks that have not visited my youtube site: margauxtdb
here is the video teaser lovingly made by Ambessa Jir Berhe…
Filed under: media
The most recent issue of Capital File Magazinge has an article about the 2010 Capital Fringe Festival and Black & Kinky Amongst Brown Waves is mentioned! Thanks to philippa p.b. hughes for the interview.
Tickets are on sale now for the festival and they can be purchased online at:
http://shows.capfringe.org/shows/395-Margaux-DelotteBennett-Black-Kinky-Amongst-Brown-Waves.html
Filed under: media
Tune in Thursday, April 22nd to 89.3 FM, WPFW’s Sophies Parlor!
Sharon J. Burton (Gemini Visions Art, Authentic Art Online) and I will be guests of the Sophies Parlor Collective on their weekly radio show. We will be talking about art, poetry and the upcoming Soul Revival exhibit I will be participating in. Poets were asked to use a randomly assigned visual arts piece as our muse. The creations will be exhibited side by side in the gallery. Sophies Parlor runs from 1-3pm on Thursday, April 22nd and I think that we are slated for the later part of the first hour.
Sophies Parlor is a show by women, about women, for everybody. They focus on women’s voices and issues. I also plan to share a poem from my one woman show.
Tune in!
