“Poetry that Gives Birth to Revolution”

Ancestor Amiri Baraka‘s poem “Black Art” inspired this poem. Baraka was an inspiration to me, and taught me a lot about being a revolutionary poet.

Poetry that Gives Birth to Revolution

We need powerful empowering poetry

Poetry that promotes positivity

Poetry that encourages people to progress

 

Poetry that gives birth to revolution

 

We need poetry

that puts on black berets,

black dashikis, black pants, and black boots

Poetry that rises and raises its fist

to run after the oppressor to oppose

its rendering racism

Poetry that challenges the boys in blue

Poetry that kicks but while we sit back

and say, “Get ’em poetry!!”

 

Poetry that gives birth to revolution

 

Black folk need poetry

that gangsters the grime in the ghetto

Poetry that gathers graceless women,

gutless men, and guiltless children

to guide them back to greatness

Poetry that disintegrates crack

and evaporates alcohol so that we don’t

continue to fall into destruction

 

Poetry that gives birth to revolution

 

This world needs poetry

that puts an end to poverty

to starvation

to homelessness

to A.I.D.S.

to dehumanization

to government regulation

to population control

to depletion of Earth’s natural resources

to war

to worry

to suffering

to pain

to the Bush and Tony Blair regime

 

Poetry that gives birth to revolution!

(C) Christopher D. Sims

All rights reserved by author

 

Words for Universal Action

Poet, Activist, and Performer

http://www.about.me/ChristopherDSims

Photo: Logo from Revolution Poetry Facebook page, a Sweden-based poetry group.