In Defense of Tehran

Absence has more power than presence            

ground zero,

and as we had to rebuild ourselves from the rubble the rebels

buried us in,

we began to have nightmares

and daymares

about a race of people

who made their school children trample the American flag

and whose songs, radio stations and billboards

rang

“marg bar amrika!”

death to America

Yet we may be the ones who are suffering the least

Curoristy may have killed the cat

But cuorisity is also the purest form of insubordination

For to question authority

There must first be doubt in the authority’s morality

Such as the moral army of Iran

Called “The Blood of God”

Who march through the streets to enforce

That the fabric women use to cover their with faces are thick enough,

That the buses are segregated by gender,

And that women are not walking with any man

Other than their fathers, brothers, and husbands

And If you are found to be wearing makeup,

If you are found to be wearing nail polish,

If your dress length is found to be too short,

You shall find yourself locked in morality prison,

Forced to take multiple virginity tests

And jailed in a crowded room with prostitutes

Who are waiting to be put inside of garbage bags and stoned to death

Wearing a veil was once a religious choice that displayed utter devotion to God

Until the government mandated that all women must cover their faces

Because female hair is unreasonably arousing and overtly sexual

Men are not exempt, either

If you are found to be Westernized,

Smoking Cigars,

Displaying Leftist tendencies,

Or teaching Westernized education,

The only punishment available is death

Of which the beheading of principles, dignitaries, and professors are rerun daily on the news

These mandates were given during the time

that the marrying age was lowered from eighteen, to nine

so that shorties were literally dimes

pedphefiles would never be charged for their crimes

cause it’s back to the grind

back to the grind

back to the grind

girl forget your mind

and get on your back

and grind

Some extremists say they wont be free until the voice of America is shut down

And they are willing to kill themselves to do so

But you can’t say that an entire race of people agree

When their own voices have been silenced

So in defense of Tehran

“My sister, guard your veil,

my brother, guard your eyes”

For we are not easily silenced 

Get Over It

1. What is your biggest fear?

2. How would the actualization of that fear affect you?

3. What could you do to minimize the chances of that fear coming true?

4. What could you do to minimize the impact the realization of that fear?

5. What compromises could you agree to do in order to overcome that fear?

6. What would you have to do in order to be at peace with this fear coming true? 

3 AM

And there was this one moment,
in the midst of covering every surface in the room with glow stick paint,
where everyone stopped shaking and swaying with the speakers
and they looked around at one another in the dark
and simultaneously thought to themselves
"I lit my sparkler and held it high enough for the world to be illuminated by my youth"

and that was that moment.

Welcome to the Rabbit Hole

So here's what really happened: Alice knew all along that she was going to wonderland. Seriously. Even though her friends tried their hardest to surprise her, she knew all about where she was going and every single person who would be there, almost as though she invited them herself. And finally, when she stumbled upon her fatigued guests (the table of food with the eat me and drink me labels was not allowed to be touched until Alice arrived, naturally), the whole host of then-sober characters screamed in sloppy uniformity: "Welcome to Wonderland, Alice!" Unfortunately, however, this phrase carried much more meaning for the guests than for Alice because it meant that they could now devour the wide stack of tomato finger sandwiches and four different flavors of tea without the strict punishment of the White Queen (also in attendence). Like the good sport Alice was, she changed into her blue "Alice" dress and began to waltz around the room, giving cheek kisses to all, and blandly informing each guest that wonderland was the worst-kept secret on the face of the planet, but that she was happy that they all found the rabbit hole regardless. Dancing with multiple hatters and multiple rabbits, and boys of course when hatters and rabbits were not available, Alice began the party by sipping a little tea cup that said "drink me".
This is the prelude to the rest of what really happened, also not sold in stores.

A Continuation of Jarvis' Speech from "Cry, My Beloved Country"

It is time to end the selfishness that continues to undermine our systems, causing the people to work against the people. We uphold selfless giving, but we have rarely if ever shaken the hand of a coloured or a native. We uphold orderly rule and opportunity for all, but we continue segregation if not for our own comfort, then for the sake of tradition. We uphold supporting those under us, but only as long as they stay under us. And we are henceforth pressured, in order that we may maintain our benevolent image, to project a depiction of compassion, publicly donating funds to the church, to be devoted to the Lord God, who made our merely human and noble gestures possible, and to say that because He created all of His children, He placed the riches in the wealthy’s hand as equally as the pennies in the poor’s. We sometimes venture far enough down the lane where we do not help the meek or the cripple or the lame, for if God positioned them in that state, that is where they are to stay, and who are we to claim otherwise? As our heads float in a cloud of conceited altruism, we assume that every crumb we fling towards the poor is blessed by God, every crumb we grudgingly cast down brings God’s mercy upon us, every crumb that we provide to a less fortunate person secures another gem on our heavenly crown. We say the ghettos in our country are born from lack of money and productivity in the community because the people will not care to profit from such renovations; we say the ghettos in our states do not have appropriate education because the young do not care to learn and the old do not care to teach; we say the ghettos in our valleys fester prostitution and bootlegging, but we do not offer applicable jobs that can issue an alternative. To end the violence, to end the brutality, to end the poverty, those in power must extend their hand to those without power, not with the narcissism of the Pharisee lifting his head to heaven, blaring out his prayer to God, but in the simple and selfless manner of the publican who braved his head, recognizing his limitations in the presence of God. It is time. 

Black Man Getting Hosed While Standing in Line to Vote

It's hot out. Even though it's early november. I guess someone forgot to tell the sun that times a changin'! Maybe he got tired of seeing the X and the King struggle to be the African X-Kings they once were. Maybe he wanted to see a nigga admit to this unhumanistic society that he really did crave a slice of Uncle Sam's apple pie. To participate in an election by casting a ballot that whispers 'this is my new homeland'.

Maybe not so new. It is the same moon and sun..
                              Where is that water coming from?
It never rained in Africa.

A Love Triangle Between a Projector, Light, and a Computer

Hey baby,
it's me again.
I know it's been a while since the last time I was inside you, and without me you're broken- projecting the shadows of your inner machinery on walls so dark and silent that they have no echo.
But baby,
If I never broke you, you would never know what a good fix I could be- pressing your buttons and pulling your cords just enough to make me see whatever I want to see..
And you'll never get an apology.
See, while it's been a while for me and you, it's been every millisecond for her and me, rerouting her connection and updating her data, words too big for you to understand.
I mean, she even shaped up and got rid of her floppy disks; she's not tied down because she has wifi that flies so high that her particles and my photons mix.. in the air that your images are made from.

I came to take you back,
but I forgot you only slow me down because your wiring won't allow you to go at my speed.