My Culture

Location

32608
United States
29° 36' 56.4228" N, 82° 21' 57.3012" W

My culture breathes ignorance into existence through slave tongues;
Infatuated by chains that ancestral pain used to hang from;
My culture learns to hold guns at a young age because they were taught there were no such things as better days.
My culture prefers baby mothers over wives because AIDS is more reliable than love is.
My culture will hesitate to tell you the true meaning of life, but won’t hesitate to tell you what a thug is;
My culture is the stiff rugged crease above the eyebrow and beads of sweat down the forehead of a black child.
My culture is the smile of a grandmother on a Sunday morning.
Cooking girts, pancakes, sausage, and bacon;
My culture is love, pride, loyalty, and soul!
I don’t know what you were told;
And I’m sorry if you were mistaken,
But, my culture will never bend or fold under any situation.
At the same time, my culture will leave its own flesh and blood dying in the streets.
Great men have faults and even stronger men can be weak, but the strongest man;
The strongest man knows defeat and can keep his head high without worrying about his feet;
Embracing both success and failure, he finds release.
So you can tell me how bad my culture is, and I will just tell you how good it can be.
You tell me how far we've come, and I will tell you what we have left to achieve;
See, they try to blur the ills of our reality until we believe illusions and forget what we have left to fight for;
But you can bet your last weave and bail money of a young brother who felt like he had something to die for;
That I will never forget.
If you ask me what my culture is, then I’ll tell you this:
My culture is that point between chaos and peace;
The star that was too far to be reached and the widow that loved but never wept;
My culture is the man who chose to stand among a hundred empty seats;
The black fist that was shot dead in the streets and the homeless vet who will never earn his true respect;
My culture is the strongest man that never slept and the wildest beast that has yet to be unleashed;
So watch your step;
Because soon, my culture will be free!

Guide that inspired this poem: 

Comments

Additional Resources

Get AI Feedback on your poem

Interested in feedback on your poem? Try our AI Feedback tool.
 

 

If You Need Support

If you ever need help or support, we trust CrisisTextline.org for people dealing with depression. Text HOME to 741741