“When one group breaks the covenant of truth and assumes an exclusive role in defining the basis of human relationship, that group plants the seed of rebellion.”
James H. Cone. Black Theology and Black Power
It will never be anything other than
An uneasy balancing act
Between us
That is the condition and cost
We tell stories of temptation
It slithers and sheds its skin
It sounds reasonable to reasonable people
Or, for dramatic effect, we set desirable thing
Behind a chain link fence
We poke our fingers between the links
We dream the dreams of petty tyrants
Whose bellies and hearts are never full
And the soul of this world is never enough
Temptation is real
This world is built on a promise
Not a statue
Our bodies require bonds that are renewed daily
The claim is a simple one
I am a living being
With living beings
On a living being
And so are you
To be is to make that claim
To be held to that claim
To be judged by that claim
We live a circular scale
Or maybe a spiral
To understand this is to understand justice
Not just a word we say
But a living template
A claim made on each other just because we are alive
A claim I hope and expect
You will make of me
As I make of you
When you get drunk with power…
I dissent.
Powerful! You closed your marathon out well!
Just finished reading all of your pieces! You killed it on your first go-around. I look forward to joining you next year and hopefully reading more of your work in between! I am so glad you set aside the time and that you kept going when you got delayed at the start.
Excellent! This should be submitted to…well, I don’t know who to. It’s almost in a category of its own. 🙂
the quote by James H. Cone really sets up the poem well, and the poem itself is powerful, impressive, layered, meaningful, and impactful. I love your of line breaks here
What a powerful poem to end your marathon! So many great lines. Really loved where you said “I am a living being/With living beings/on a living being.” Too often we forget that this Earth that holds us is a living thing too. Well-penned!
I agree with all of the previous comments – an important poem with so many powerful and poignant lines. I loved the same phrases as gillygab and these lines, too:
‘This world is built on a promise
Not a statue’
So much said in your poem that needs to be heard!!
The tone and atmosphere all in unison. From the quote to the flow of thoughts, it’s clearly brings out the full meaning – dissent. Temptation does “slither indeed”
‘I dissent’ brings out the heretic minister in you.
*****smiles*****
Thank you
“To be is to make that claim” – This made me think of the theology that says that “God” is the noun of “to be”; God is “being” in all its forms. This line connected earthly things with the divine so beautifully.
And hell yes – “I dissent!”