Monday, April 16, 2012

Poem of the Day: trouble sleeping by Sumayyah Talibah


trouble sleeping
invisible prisoner
in a closet of glass
ignored by everyone
with different views
i can scream
i can cry
i can hold up signs
but no one tries
to hear my side
who gets to decide
if how i’m feeling is wrong
enforce these so-called laws
that alienate me
and my thoughts
and my actions
and erase my life
confuse my perception
of my reality
make me question
my convictions
shake my foundation
my beliefs
will you be satisfied
when i’m broken and bruised
i wonder about
life on the other side
is there a fire
or a river
milk and honey
fruits and trees
is it too much to hope
for true equality
for a time when i
don’t spend my time defending
to anyone who’ll listen
and feeling like
i’m being forced to choose
been accused of passing
when i’m just interacting
with the people around me
in society
who am i
what do i do
was i supposed to tell you
whenever i planned to
make a move
wide awake
taking chances
moving cautiously
in my see-through cage
under intense scrutiny
i don’t know how
i don’t know why
i ended up this way
curse of my birth
hardwired in my brain
lullaby fails to soothe me
as the sky turns light
and its another day
all too soon
where i must fight
to have my voice be heard
lessons
don’t fail me
i think i’ve learned them well
until cracks appear
in the walls
i’ll keep pushing
and waving
and hoping that one night soon
i won’t have trouble
sleeping

from: Sumayyah Said So

Poem of the Day is a spotlight on Liberated Muse poets found on our site LiberatedMuse.com. This is a celebration of April as National Poetry Month.  Find all featured poets on LiberatedMuse.com

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