Pictured Happy Nia Productions at CBLG's King Day tribute.
Presented at the event:
crying babies – income maybe's and depressed mommas
pornographic tv – hate crimes and political drama
somebody's struggling – can't afford the meds – nightmares with commas
and even though i voted for him – i don't even trust obama
contradictions – loose restrictions
we believe in the oh so obvious depictions
i'm a ghetto girl with acceptable diction
we killing the future – what's your prediction
every pimp i ever met said he was a christian
i have a dream of my own – let's invent a new mission
it ain't that blacks commit more crime
we're just more likely to be arrested
gay brothers no longer lead in cases of hiv
they're just more likely to get tested
a white man's death ain't more important than mine
it's just more likely to be protested
and i might say i'm a white girl if i gotta call the police
'cause she's more likely to be protected
i wonder if birds can feel the wind that they are flying through
we gotta know already this thang is much bigger than me and you
we're gonna have to pay someday for all the evil that we do
we left a dream unattended and a nightmare grew
i used to wish i was as gentle as martin luther king
but they ain't yet wrote the national anthem that i wanna sing
i have not found the truest part of me that i wanna bring
even all these poems i write – they don't mean a damn thing
'cause i am so sick of revolution as just a theory
all the meeting and the planning and pretension makes me weary
it's like another whole layer – to the same conspiracy
i ain't always proud of the soldier i find in the mirror, see
is this still a movement and what's my role in it
i don't wanna be gray-haired in lounges still reciting poetry with no soul in it
though there is sincerity in my work – there's nothing left bold in it
i have tried to find vibrancy in this walk but i just feel old in it
all the poverty – all the silence
all the touching without kindness
bisexual and transgendered – we smother in silence
all the torn flesh – all the violence
nothing shocks us – anymore
nothing enrages us – anymore
a faggot is kindling used to start a fire – a dyke is good for stopping the flow of water
they need me to hate you – they need you to hate my daughter
my black brother, how can you laugh down these streets where my body lays slaughtered
i don't always tell you how i feel betrayed by you, but today i think i oughta
what could possibly awaken us in these kinds of days
so many of us still struggling to find the means and ways
to stay above ground - sometimes i hate the sight of grinning lesbians & gays
or black folk who hold the sun but let the skies stay gray
maybe we just ain't feeling anything
maybe we feel like we ain't got no songs left to sing
maybe we don't believe we got nothing good that we can bring
maybe we don't feel worth the fight – we don't feel like kings & queens
if we really wanted to honor dr. king – we'd be eating this in the street
we'd be passing out plates of food to all god's children who can't afford to eat
we would not be so relaxed – we would have calluses on our feet
from standing – between this reality and the dreams we hope to meet
but dr.king can't be the only warrior that we see in here
'cause without my sheroes i would never even be in here
our struggle's too male centered – don't think i can fit all of me in here
i truly wonder if dr. king would've even wished us free – in here
it is still so cold and i see us pulling logs from the fire
i see us building bombs & just before detonation we cut the wire
i see us standing back w/arms crossed – daring ourselves to be inspired
i see us in this movement – talking without walking, just to be admired
is this still a movement and just where are we trying to go
even if we don't know the answer – can we just agree that we don't know
we gotta be willing to let the next generation reap the freedom that we sew
there is beauty in cutting off deadened branches so a bigger tree can grow
we're so into labels and titles and positions on the board
arrogantly, we fault folk for not knowing information that we hoard
these separate movements create too many deaths for our people to afford
why don't we have a breakfast honoring pat parker, marlon riggs & audre lorde
and we are gonna be the ones that tomorrow's gonna grieve
but what will they say about us – what kind of legacy will we leave
let it be more than anger we ignored or pain we did not relieve
let it be something they can build on – some truth they can believe
i hope when we lay it down – we can say we honestly tried
i hope we broke down some walls – i hope we exposed some lies
i hope we taught a girl to scream – i hope we taught a boy to cry
let's actually be the things we want them to say about us when we die
contradictions – lets write a real mission
we perpetuate the oh so obvious depictions
i'm a ghetto girl with acceptable diction
change never happens without the friction
we killing the future – what's your prediction
contradictions – contradictions
- eninajay ( for dr.king breakfast/2005 )
e.nina.jay is a lesbian/womon activist, writer of african descent. she uses her work to break silences around all forms of violence against womyn and children, with particular focus on the intersection of gender violence, race and poverty. a survivor of rape and incest, e.nina.jay uses her writing as a tool for healing, light and power.