{"id":1556,"date":"2014-05-28T17:07:58","date_gmt":"2014-05-28T22:07:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/toppun.com\/blog\/?p=1556"},"modified":"2017-09-18T09:16:33","modified_gmt":"2017-09-18T14:16:33","slug":"poem-owed-to-racism-that-whole-in-our-soul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toppun.com\/blog\/2014\/05\/28\/poem-owed-to-racism-that-whole-in-our-soul\/","title":{"rendered":"POEM: Owed to Racism – That Whole In Our Soul"},"content":{"rendered":"

Owed to Racism: That Whole In Our Soul<\/strong>
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Our life is<\/strong>
\nA thin line between<\/strong>
\nLoving hate<\/strong>
\nAnd hope filled madness<\/strong>
\nDark mournings<\/strong>
\nAnd over joy<\/strong>
\nIn this may hem together<\/strong>
\nTo suture self<\/strong>
\nAnd community bound<\/strong>
\nFor wince they came<\/strong>
\nThrough painful needlings<\/strong>
\nBoth sides<\/strong>
\nRight<\/strong>
\nAnd left<\/strong>
\nIn stitches<\/strong>
\nWhere it hurts to laugh<\/strong>
\nAt such a heeling surgin’<\/strong>
\nPlease<\/strong>
\nDo not real<\/strong>
\nAt my site<\/strong>
\nUnless you are willing too<\/strong>
\nIn counter me<\/strong>
\nPhase to phase<\/strong>
\nOffering me<\/strong>
\nMore than mirror change<\/strong>
\nWear wee are all scarred<\/strong>
\nLeaving behind<\/strong>
\nBroken images<\/strong>
\nIn its place<\/strong>
\nBad luck<\/strong>
\nAnd idol<\/strong>
\nHands speaking<\/strong>
\nIn victory clenched<\/strong>
\nLifting up<\/strong>
\nThe signs of the times<\/strong>
\nI am a man<\/strong>
\nAnd woo man<\/strong>
\nNever the less<\/strong>
\nHearts beaten<\/strong>
\nAs won<\/strong>
\nAn incite job<\/strong>
\nGame to be fixed<\/strong>
\nEqual to awe before us<\/strong>
\nThat whole in our soul<\/strong>
\nOnto grievous grounds spilling<\/strong>
\nNot simply in vein<\/strong>
\nAs sometimes made pale<\/strong>
\nSometimes colored<\/strong>
\nWeave all skin in the game<\/strong>
\nIn this work of heart<\/strong>
\nFor as it is read<\/strong>
\nSow shall it be ridden<\/strong>
\nFree dumb<\/strong>
\nOf oppressor and oppressed alike<\/strong>
\nNo longer sullen one another<\/strong>
\nUndertaking and overtaken<\/strong>
\nIn the passed<\/strong>
\nTo marrow<\/strong>
\nNever for gotten<\/strong>
\nBidding us<\/strong>
\nTo not be under souled<\/strong>
\nIn the ours before us<\/strong>
\nWresting in peace<\/strong>
\nSo called<\/strong>
\nBeyond words<\/strong>
\nAnd belief<\/strong>
\nIn action<\/strong>
\nTo gather<\/strong>
\nWith won voice<\/strong>
\nAnd undivided tension<\/strong>
\nOf won accord<\/strong>
\nHand in hand<\/strong>
\nSo becoming<\/strong>
\nFull circle <\/strong>
\nUn-brake-able<\/strong><\/p>\n

This anti-racism poem came out of my recent experience with a combating racism dialogue group, as part of a larger anti-racism initiative in Toledo.\u00a0 This poem reflects both the devastation and intractability of racism and group members’ deep commitment and hope for a world free of racism.\u00a0 The poem calls for united action to reclaim the wholeness of our community.\u00a0 The level of denial of racism by white folks in America is staggering.\u00a0 Confronting white privilege often makes even dialogue difficult.\u00a0 Truly joining in solidarity to combat racism with concrete actions is often seen as unduly threatening to privileged whites.\u00a0 I am grateful that Toledo has the wisdom and fortitude to operate these dialogue to change anti-racism groups.\u00a0 May these groups unleash a juggernaut of positive social change for Toledo and the world!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Owed to Racism: That Whole In Our Soul Our life is A thin line between Loving hate And hope filled madness Dark mournings And over joy In this may hem together To suture self And community bound For wince they … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57,9,38,15],"tags":[563,294,397,331,363,428,317,431,388,493,79,359,461,509,658,94,513,207,718,279,531,19,389,380],"class_list":["post-1556","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-peace","category-poems","category-political-action","category-political-and-philosophical-musings","tag-america","tag-awe","tag-change","tag-community","tag-denial","tag-experience","tag-hate","tag-heart","tag-hope","tag-job","tag-joy","tag-life","tag-luck","tag-mourning","tag-poems","tag-poetry","tag-privilege","tag-racism","tag-skin-in-the-game","tag-solidarity","tag-soul","tag-toledo","tag-wisdom","tag-work"],"yoast_head":"\nPOEM: Owed to Racism - That Whole In Our Soul | Peace, Poems, Political Action, Political and Philosophical Musings | Top Pun's Poetry, Funny Puns, Free Posters, Public Health Radio Show! 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