there is no
justice in
this place
little girl
dreams get
washed away
with yesterday’s
news and little
boys are never
taught that dreams
can in fact come true

we walk fine
lines in this
in between
times where
the end is not
near but here

an ending to
the illusion that
we are separate
as we propagate
flagrant hate
among our neighbors

i sit here
awash in pearls
just another little
girl who fought
dragons in her
dreams awakened
to learn that
those dragons
were true things

like misogyny and
poverty and
self hate

no i did not
take a walk
today unless
you count that
stroll through
my memories as
i sat and talked
about days
decades gone

thoughts washed
over me i still
remember the
burns from friends
turned foe and all
the woes of missed
social
cues

i earned my
stripes although
my mother griped
about my need
for society’s approval

you are black

you are female

society will not
allow you to
be true so stand
in your history
and walk past
these mysteries
where folk deny
you your truth
telling you
sweep that
floor

never done
domestic labor
ask the dust
mites that linger
instead my life
has been ripe with
problem solving
situations and attempts
to mitigate circumstance
outside of my control

i work social and
the social works me
as i piecemeal solid
deals between one’s
past and the future
we seek

no i did not
take a walk today
unless of course
you count the stroll
i took down memory lane

Put one up for the Phifer, it’s time to decipher/
The ills of the world make the situation lighter