SELF WORTH

The flowers are dying,

they never really lived

we missed the pink lights of the dance floor

but drank free pink drink instead

I don’t know or remember

things like changing vase water

to encourage full bloom

or rinsing the rice

starch-free

but I will always alter

the volume

just so –

I know what sound

sounds better

Shared history

A small huddled masses
Whispering words and phrases
Shaking fists
And wiping eyebrows
Back in the email threads of hope-filled 2009
I could not have thought we'd be gathered
By this little flame 
Trying to comfort ourselves
And each other somehow.

poem #20

i should've written you on the 20th day
but that was a sad, angry day
and 
all i could think of was 
the resistance
and 
poetry felt separate
until i organized my bookshelf 
and 
pulled out
the spoken word revolution
and
poetry of resistance
and
poetry matters
and
and
and