A response to “In This Place (An American Lyric)
The horrors they witnessed are unimaginable. Their strength and will were continuously tested to the point of no return. The few that managed to make it to see the light at the end of it were irreparably scarred. Those that managed to escape with all their limbs intact had failed to realize that their insanity was already cracked and splintered. The scars that they will harbor for the remainder of their lives will cut deep and burden their conscience with no reprieve. More than 150 000 children were failed at the hands of our country. The inhumane treatment and abuse they faced at the hands of individuals, who had advertised false promises, will irrevocably become intertwined within their future generations. These facts are difficult to acknowledge but are the truth nonetheless. With this truth, we are faced with the choice of what to do next. On what we can do to ensure that history isn’t repeated. Our voices are interlaced with a strength that most are unaware of. We carry power in our words, which in turn, spurs action. As a collective, we are a formidable force. We are equipped with the humility to inspire a change in our country. Our country belongs to the people, and it is within us to ensure that it is a place of acceptance and constant growth. We owe it to all the children, men, women, and families who had to suffer to make us understand our flaws. We are capable of change. We can be better.
A response to “Barbie Doll”
Her limbs twitched
a meager effort
against a greater force
trying to convey the turmoil
ripping her apart from within
Streaky makeup distorted her face
reapplied at the slightest sign of fading
she was prepared to be paraded along all day,
jerky movements that went against her primal instincts,
and everything she yearned for
The circus neared its end
she was left on the stage
deemed no longer useful
discarded by the puppeteer.
Her arms were raised above,
a sign of defeat.
Reminders of her trapped life strewn around
Oh how she wished to burn
to burn the strings attached to her
to burn the stage she was chained to
to burn every boundary that held her captive.
Only then she could be free