I believe in the power
of a mouth.
You can bite, you can shout,
you can suck, you can sip,
you can kiss, you can tear,
you can spit, you can say
anything you dare.
With a mouth, one can spew
out immaculate waves of wonder,
or host a caravan of boiling tongues
of spite.
I believe in the power
of a mind.
You are what you think.
Insecurities are crippling:
the shy eyes of memory.
“The happiness of your life depends on
the quality of your thoughts”
(Thank you, Marcus Aurelius).
I believe the youth has become sedated with fear
of authority.
The Internet is a court—
yard execution platform. Punishment
awaits the fearless.
Lies masked as encouragement:
“Everyone is splendid—” pffft, special snowflake—
“Be all you can be—,”
fore you realize you’re a pawn
and there is no way out of this gurgling vat
of black tar
and we won’t help you
[but 6 feet under, you’re our fallen hero!]
get your own coverage you freeloading hussy
stop being a Poor
[BOOTSTRAPS!!!]
I believe the power
of the Riot Grrrl movement was strong,
[Thank you, Kathleen Hanna]
but it is 2012. We need something new.
I believe the civil rights movement was only the seedling
of something larger, and to consider
how much we love the gays
of our country,
I would love a clean separation from the dingbats
and the yay-whos through an understanding
marry whomever you please
but remember this is not the end
of the movement toward equality.
I believe the G.O.P’s must be crazy.
Stay out of my uterus.
Who would have thought
that 1% could carry so much weight?
I wish I could eat
well— [you guilt me out of stamps]. I will fuck
whoever I like [with consent]! I will fight
until the day I die
knowing what I am in
for what I stand:
I am woman.
You shall not continue to humiliate us.
I believe in the power
of awareness.
But does it really spark
a fire under your butt?
Or do you nod your head,
say, “Oh, my God, that’s horrible,”
and then go on eating your dinner?
Or are you a keyboard warrior?
Or are you tagging the street?
Or are you on the phone?
Or are you in the office?
Or are your hands knitting
the quilt to a better future?
I believe in the power
of words.
Converse with others about what truly matters.
Do not exhaust them:
we are all using a language that dies
every time we speak.
First (and one half) draft of a new piece. The finished product will be in my final project poetry chapbook!
Keep practicing,
Any