The Poetry Marathon

A hundred years from now she will ask
How did we get here, where are we from
And you will tell the stories, of the land from which we come
It used to be the land of the brave and of the free,
Except that it wasn’t, not for you and not for me

It was America the great,
If being a white man was your fate
For if you are black, gay, or have a uterus,
The state of our country would make you furious

So we did what we could
Ignored those that say we should
Just sit and be quiet
Don’t try to fight it

We upped and we fled
While others, they bled
And brought you here
To live without fear

So thank your mothers
And pray for your daughters
That they may be free
Unlike you and unlike me

Chase me

Pretend to resist the temptation
The dance of flirtation

Circle me

Draw me in with a look
But you’re the fish on the hook

Look into me

See beyond the exterior
And be blind to the inferior

Give in to sin

Desire what’s out of reach
Don’t practice what you preach

Long is the road to paradise
Climbing higher than my mother,
And her mother before her,
So that she may grasp clouds in her little hands

My hands have blistered
Growing tired of carrying these curses
But these burdens are not for her to shoulder Her body will not know my pain

I am weary in the morning, anxious at night
Are these legs strong enough,
Arms long enough,
Soul determined enough,
To create her escape

Long is the road to paradise
But I have promises to keep*

*Taken from Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

Blanket me in dark skies dotted with stars

Where I end, and it begins,

Where I am one continuous cycle

Not something, and not nothing

Not floating, and not sinking

Ascending

Hi friends! My name is Presley. This is my first time participating in the marathon. I am joining my mother(hi mom!) Amanda who has participated before and I’m looking forward to writing with you all!