#WEP #WINNER’s #GUESTPOST – Toi Thomas on the Power of Poetry
Hello everyone! L.G. here! As you all know by now, the winner of the WEP Challenge gets the opportunity to write a guest post. Her poem Good Freedom Dream provoked a lot of thoughts and feelings in those who read it. As our judge Nick Wilford said: Nick wrote: “This had such a quietly resigned tone to it. Measured, powerful and understated, but still making a big impact. A thought-provoking piece.”… read more here.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords #blacklivesmatter
Thank you W.E.P. for this honor. I’m glad my words made an impact, whether good or bad. It’s nice to know that I was able to write something that in turn made others feel something. I have learned so much from this community.
For anyone wanting to see the Winner’s announcement post and see the other winners of the wonderful challenge, please click here. All recognition is well deserved.
[Original post from here on.]
I’ve been working on a sweet and inspiring story about a group of activists planning several protest marches, ranging from DACA to AAPI to Black Lives Matter and more, while sipping coffee at a diner. I haven’t been able to finish this story for weeks and have decided to put it aside to revisit later. After hearing the verdict of the Derek Chauvin case, I decided to write something else, something inspired by the heat of the moment, and something that I haven’t fully processed or thought through, but something I’m still going to share anyway.
Good Freedom Dream
Good morning, “they” say.
What’s so good about it?
It’s just another morning for me to wait.
To wait for the freedom that didn’t come in 1865.
Another day for a freed black person to be addressed as “boy” or “girl”.
Good day, “they” say.
What’s so good about it?
It’s just another day for me to wait.
To wait for the freedom that was taken by Jim Crow.
Another day for a freed black person to be killed for walking on the wrong side of the street.
Good afternoon, “they” say.
What’s so good about it?
It’s just another afternoon for me to wait.
To wait for the freedom that didn’t come with the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Another day for a freed black person to be paid less for their work and time while someone else appropriates and profits from it.
Good evening, “they” say.
What’s so good about it?
It’s just another evening for me to wait.
To wait for the freedom that won’t come while Black Panthers are call terrorists but the KKK is not.
Another day for a freed black person to face the ugly truth of a lying and unapologetic nation.
Goodbye, “they” say.
What’s so good about it?
It’s just another passing for me to wait.
To wait for the freedom that didn’t come with the acquittal of George Zimmerman.
Another day for a freed black person to be criminalized just for being black.
Good Freedom Morning, I hear my people say.
What’s so good about it?
It’s another morning of no more waiting.
No more waiting for the dream of freedom promised for more than 200 years.
No more waiting… but it’s only a dream, a dream we’re one small step closer to.
I’m glad George Floyd got the justice he deserves but this isn’t the end. Nothing has been solved. Black people are still being seen as a violent threat just for being black. Someone WILL surely come along and say, “See, we held that one guy accountable.”, “Aren’t we done talking about this yet?” or “Just wait, you’ll get your police reform eventually,” because that’s the story of U.S. black people. We get a sliver of freedom or justice and then we wait…
– Updated 4/25- I’m limiting my response to “Thank you for your words.” on any comments to this post as an acknowledgment and appreciation to those who took the time to comment. Reading the comments of this post is turning out to be too emotional for me at the moment.
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Please visit other entries in this hop and enjoy some funny, scary, touching, and thought-provoking stories. You’ll be so glad you did.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords #blacklivesmatter
I’m feeling all the feels right now and coping as best I can. That means lots of reading and writing. If you don’t want to see any more of this, well then, look away. For everyone else, I hope you get something out of this. Thank you to everyone who’s been so supportive.
Just Another One
Sun shining bright, but you don’t see me.
You skirt around me and turn your head.
It’s too easy to pretend I’m blank space instead.
Blue skies and rays of sun, but you don’t see me.
You stare at my hands, waiting and watching.
Faceless brown hands about to do something?
Puffy white clouds and a breeze, but you don’t see me.
Walking, jogging, riding- exercise, that’s good.
You’re scared of brown shadows in your neighborhood.
Pitch black of night, with lights blinking bright.
You see the brown shadow on the ground.
You look away and make no sound.
Sun shining on a new day, but you never saw me.
You watched me disappear and never said my name.
You never looked me in the eyes. Now you are to blame.
I didn’t matter to you and now I’m gone.
Just a brown shadow.
Just another one.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords #blacklivesmatter
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