Page 23 - Poetry Book-John-sims

Burn and Bury: Let it Go And with any war
Flags are very important Signifiers
That mark the Social, Cultural and Historical space
We are in very Troubled Times While some may believe the Confederate Flag
This story started many Scores Ago Is about Heritage and Not Hate
By the Founding Fathers The Reality speaks Otherwise
Many of whom may have known This flag can never represent
Of the Toxic Contradictions The Rich diversity and Dynamic heritage of southern folk
That would poison the future of this great land Where the African American Experience
From a Failed Reconstruction Has played a Central Role
A Compromised Civil Rights Movement Burn and Bury
And a Thwarted Black Power Movement Let it go! Let it go!
To silenced Affirmation Action Burn and Bury
And the countless Lynchings The Whites over Blacks
Occurrences of Police Brutality Burn and Bury
And instances of injustices in between Let it go! Let it go!
We see the Consistent Resistance Burn and Bury
To social respect and Justice The Systematic Attacks
We are in Haunted times
Where Race and Blackness If We Cannot resolve the issue of the Confederate flag
Something we Can See and Touch
Are debated and presented like Magic How can we as a nation process the complex things
Tricking our Best Minds We Cannot See?
As We continue to fly this flag
Burn and Bury Is not only Passive-Aggressive and disrespectful!
Let it go! Let it go! But it promotes Visual Terrorism
And if Black People and sympathetic others
Burn and Bury Are not in Constant Resistance
The Pain and The Woe And Protest of such symbols
Then we Run the Risk of sending the Wrong Signal
Burn and Bury The Confederate Flag flying
Let it go! Let it go! The Fergusons
The Eric Gardners
Burn and Bury And the cases like Baltimore are powerful examples
The Stars and Bars- No Mo That Show there is a consistent lack of respect for black people
And where there is No Respect
We are in War Times There is No Justice
Where Racial Deflection And then No Peace
And White Supremacy Burn and Bury
And Privilege are on one side Let it go! Let it go!
And Black Poverty Burn and Bury
And Mass Incarceration All that divide
And Double Consciousness Burn and Bury
Are on the other. Let it go! Let it go!
Welcome to The American Civil War II Burn and Bury
The War that started way before General Lee was born All that have died

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