Featured Poet Martin Wiley

I speak
of my Amerikkka
the one not shown on yo TV screen
or seen in some eternal sterile shoppin mall
or ecstasy-filled dance hall
or scribbled inta da marginz of some HIZtory book
no
I speak
of da hungah dat rizez wit da dawn
& growz wit da sunset
I speak of grief of thoze not born yet
I speak of a hate dat slithaz & crawlz
den "walkzondowndahall" wit silent sneakin roach stepz
leavin only tiny footprintz like trax onna junkeez arm
I speak of da timez when I wuz too scared ta think
of da dayz & nightz lost inna drink
I speak ta you
of my Amerikkka
az whispered by bloody battahed broken Black lipz
tellin talez of savage slave shipz
now revisited by FAR too many on endless drug tripz
all viewed thru bloodshot eyez
yeah, doze eyez STILL onna prize
prize made of bullshit, born of liez
I?
I am Afika & Amerikkka'z bastard son
I, the illegitemate one
dissed by my parentz
raized by Gofath Gun
& yo, I still ain't even met
my Momma yet
no, I grew up all alone here in dis, da land of king'z
of thee I sing
I sing of a King who poured wordz & deedz onta fertile mindz & stared down
da swine & we felt fine, so fine!
until hiz dream wuz shattahed when hiz brainz were splattahed onna Memphis
balcony
(so fine, so fine!)
& now?
now I speak of an LA King
whoze car sped too fast onna late-nite street
so hiz face wuz smashed inta da hard concrete
until hiz blood wuz spilled
so much dat it filled our soulz
until it ovahflowed
until we showed
just how pretty yo city lookz, once we lit yo fire
I speak of my Amerikkka, land of my birth
now, tell me fatha
whut iz my worth?
have I now outgrown yo shame?
can I now wear yo name?
African-American?
ya know on second thought, no THANX!
tho made in Amerikkka, I long ago rejected da label "Ameri-can"
ta me it alwayz seemz "Ameri-can't"
or, ratha, "Ameri-won't"
so now don't get angry when I speak ill ya know yaself so fuckin chill
& if you can't shut yo trap
then maybe I will
I speak of MY Amerikkka!
az tole by Chuck D & Coltraine'z bluez! where Langston lived & Billie
paid her duez!!
where Malcolm bled & Wright fled & Harriet led!
where Anna Mae'z handz touched foriegn landz & where Mumia standz az a symbol
ta us all...
NO MORE QUEENZ & KINGZ SHALL FALL!! SEND OUT DA CALL
all thruout MY Amerikkka
no more! NO MORE!!
da sinz of yo fo'fathaz forged our chainz, from our blood sweat & pain
but now we wrap deze chainz around yo neck
whut da fuck did you expect?
apple nevah fallz far, from da tree
& I'm bein all dat I can be
& oh, say, can you see?
wize kingz, we cum in three
& I?
I speak of Amerikkka, az he haz spoken ta me
I speak of my Amerikkka, da "America" dat I see
I speak of Amerikkka
I speak
ta be free

If It iz War...

if it iz war
we must prepare for war
Chicken Little wuz ignored
but da sky fell anyway
TV screen screamz fo 5 minutez of hate
& millionz yell at Saddam fo interupptin they evening'z entatainment
citizenz call fo battle
az stationz take a break ta allow they sponsorz ta speak
like Phillips Petrolium (who nevah mentionz sellin Saddam ovah 500 tonz of
poizon gas)
like weapons maker Westinghouse & nuclear pusher GE ownin CBS & NBC leavin ABC
fo Dizney
a deadly trio
lookin ta shoot you, pollute you, & then covah it all up inna grinnin
manufactured virtual world
"it'z a small world afta all..."
where liez becum legendz
& legendz becum hiztory
if it iz war
let us prepare fo war
52 speciez of birdz extinct just since da first attack
they nest & rest w/ovah 200,000 formerly breathin bleedin teachin carin
feelin hurtin humanz who nevah even MET they enemy
az much az 500 million gallonz of oil burnz day inta night, & night inta
nightmare
artillery turned evening sky inta flame but now steel rain returnz az acid rain
& da world may nevah be da same
& TV showz it like a video game
ta make us all ignore da pain
but da poisoned blood revealz our shame
& now theze ...fuckaz...
wanna try it...again?
Fuel-air explosivez
droppin nuclear sized pressure frontz across short distancez
cluster bombz tomakawkz SLAMz ATMz & MLRS
nuttin but da best
all gunz trained on Hussein (they claim)
scorched earth
hell if it handled Sitting Bull it'll handle Saddam'z bull, right?
well I think ya betta check yo sightz
cuz despite yo claim yo aim seemz poor
& Saddam'll probably survive dis war
just like da one before
az even more collateral damage collectz
& Exxon & Chevron cash they check
troopz wade in da blood of thoze they "protect"
becuz our prezident demandz repect
so that'z whut he getz, whutevah da cost
dat'z alwayz da attitude of a boss
they don't think they warz can be lost
...but I do
so before you pledge allegiance & step aside
think of all da facez & namez dat disappear when they die
think of US troops brought home ta die
Gulf War Syndrome still denied
USed then abUSed dat'z da role of da modern soldier
WW III still hovahrin ovah our shouldah
hate can only smouldah fo SO long
let our angah make us strong
now, tell me, to which camp do YOU belong?
if it iz war
let it be war
& let us choose sidez accordingly

Poetry