Freedom Vibrates

4th of July 2021 Poem

there are forevers
etched into every desire

if the condemned had as much ambition
there'd be a lot of riots looking like the 4th of July

with as much independence

and maybe more entitlement

and nowhere near as much defilement

take two drags
one sip
and pray

in that order

and be the hypocrite's hypocrite

....the rest aren't far behind

waving sparkles
shooting candles
drawing with explosions

and all the other intricate ways
we play with fire

excuse the tone of ire
or rather, don't excuse it at all

just accept its correctness
and stoke its plausibility

because there are ironies at stake
I'm talking real ones
so pay attention

the irony of your self-worth resting on racks

the irony of your freedom chasing chains and whips

the irony of the land of the free militarizing cops

the irony of prisoners posting on tik tok

and a lot goes unsaid about those without a voice
we are a mute and mime in discussion

and somehow I still find myself hoping
freedom will feel a little different than before

that my refracted reflections in your rims
won't be outshined by chrome glistening

that there's no substances with songs
seductive enough to siren my will

that I won't drown myself in symphonious sidewalk sonnets
hoping the deep lows crack open a breakaway

leaving my street with a crooked smile

and a missing child
who became a man
that couldn't smile back

and if this were a scene from the first forever I ever promised,
my naive would still be taking bows