With the current events happening in the world, now is the time for self-reflection and change. Language is such a powerful tool for change whether it’s emailing, writing letters, creating petitions, or reading books by Black authors to support the Black Lives Matter Movement and to fight against discrimination.
This poem deals with themes of looking and seeing (what other people see vs. what you see), judgement, and self-reflection. I played around with the form and spacing of the poem to parallel the content.
Crystal Clear
Bedroom walls around me
My thoughts spinning around
And round
There’s a silence that I can’t quite describe,
As I stare outside the window,
Feeling the stare of the sun but I can’t feel it.
Thoughts & feelings storm towards the front of my mind.
With the weapons of words prepared to fight,
To read. To write.
The waters of emotions swirl and thread themselves
Around the cells in my body.
Then I draw my attention away from the window
Into the windows of bodies.
The ones where the shutters can’t be pulled down,
And people can see and judge for themselves.
Even the media isn’t always
Crystal clear.
Two sides to one experience.
The walls form the shapes of crystals and gems—
Fill the corners and the smell of fresh air rushes into my lungs.
And I feel.