Raven Moore's Blog, page 8

Not Here

What’s the difference between

my Dad

and

your Dad

my Dad went to college

your Dad did not

my Dad went to law school

your Dad did not

my Dad bought a house

your Dad bought three

my Dad stayed home after work

your Dad went out and made

people laugh

my Dad sent me to college

your Dad sent you to Rome

my Dad made me promise

your Dad made you swear

my Dad told me to get a job

your Dad taught you

how to sell underwear

my Dad kept me out of trouble

your Dad taught you

what trouble is

what’s the difference between

my Dad

and your Dad

what do we all fear

my Dad is not here

Prince

I would be in

writing rehab too

if I wrote a song for Sinead O’Connor

knowing that nothing compares

to you

walked on over to

the Bangles

on a Manic Monday

told Cyndi Lauper that when you were mine

I was happier because

Alicia Keys

doesn’t call me anymore

reminisced about our Jungle Love

with The Time

standing back with

Stevie Nicks

and

Chaka Khan who always lets me know

she feels for me

Yes, I wrote that too

Sheila E. had such a glamorous life

and

Tevin Campbell had a career that went

round and round

M.C. Hammer

forgot to pray

and

Madonna

wrote one more love song

yes

I would be in writing rehab

going crazy

if the elevator

tried to break me

down

one more time

Always

I wonder

who would it be

next

who would it be

that one

that only

one

who died in that hour

at that minute

who did that thing

that wasn’t a thing

but a perception

of a thing

as more than it really was

just

blood and bones

and

a thought

that it was real

before it wasn’t

that it was a person

before it wasn’t

allowed to speak

to be

to remember

all the things

that make us human

and why

we should always

always

fight

to stay alive

Beyonce Says

Beyonce says

Intuition

Denial

Anger

Apathy

Emptiness

Accountability

Reformation

Forgiveness

Resurrection

Hope

Redemption

but I think it’s

denial first

and then there are no stages

as such

just

forgiveness

since

we all who keep going

in it

are going in it

because

we’ve forgiven them

even if we won’t admit it

what allows you to keep going

other than

acceptance

denial is real

but it does not kill you

unless

you kill yourself

at which point

you’ll have to admit

that you never forgave

your injurer

you let them be stronger

than you

and then there is

no Lemonade

you’re just dying

of thirst

All Ready

When I see hills

I calculate

and then I decide

that it’s too much

for me

I think

too much

is not enough

for me to put myself to the test

it has to be impossible

then I know

for sure

that I can do it

because

it’s never been done before

and why would anyone be put

here

on earth

to do something

that’s already been

done

DNA

DNA

stands for

everyone

everybody

everywhere

every time

it stands for the ability

to pass

something down

to someone else

that you may never meet

or thought could exist

D

stands for

diligence

N

not

A

avoided

we make sure

it happens

exactly this way

not that way

you can think

there is no reason

for this and for that

this is more useful

than the other things

I’m missing

but

DNA does not forget

it remembers

and remembers

and falls asleep

sometimes

but can wake up

anyone

anybody

anywhere

any time

you are what you were

and will always be

strong

no matter

what

or

who

you are

Cote d’Ivoire Breathes

From Cote d’Ivoire

to Cote d’Azure

Ouattara, your 18 trillion

makes how many Euro

for them

if you have all the cacao

the word is restructure

not refinance

the word is own

not privatize

tell yourself to nationalize

run in the room

yell it and run out the back door

jump in your car

drive away really fast or really slow

and don’t forget

if you have all the bananas for sale

and you have

all the limestone

you can strike several deals

with the people

to build their own house or

1 million more

help them up

put them out

of their misery

literally

and physically

forget your interests

and the interest

and the compounding

of compounds

without leases

without mortgages

without reverting to

ownership

allow

your people

to breathe

and believe

Native

native means

native speaker

of many things

that barely exist

native means

native tongue

eaten only on Tuesdays

with lemon juice

and a bit of cilantro

nativist means

you have a casino

or one block

to yourself

and some lots

have houses

some lots are for parking

only

native foods

means

what is that

are you going to eat that

okay, one bite

native trees means

not from Japan

no cherry blossoms

flowering over my

American football game

on the Mall

no shopping

for my kind of clothes

it can only be made

by hand

by a friend

by a cousin

who lives at the end

of the block

2 miles from the nearest casino

and if you dare

say

you aren’t from here

well, that’s native too

Like Everyone

I don’t want

to be

like everyone else

I want you to be here

forever

when I think about you

you call

when I talk about you

you answer

when I smile

I know it makes you happy

I don’t want to be

liked

by anyone else

just you

prove myself

to you

make you proud

to know that

all you ever did in your life

was not for naught

all the struggles you endured

was not for someone

else’s kicks

unless they kick rocks

I don’t want

to pretend

that it’s okay

I’ll get over it

I can smile

and really mean it?

no

if you’re not here

who will I come home to

barge in on

steal food from

listen to talk on end

about how much more they know

than I do

yes Dad

I’m talking about you

and even though

it was not so perfect

and was never meant to be

you will always make me happy

because you were here

for me

not just here for yourself

you cared about me

you listened to me

you laughed for me

whenever I needed it

you healed me

you made me feel complete

via validation

via ear

and there is nothing like it

to be validated by your father

or mother

or sister

or brother

no other will do

I am me because you are you

I miss you

I wish you were here

Naki Sumo Baby

Cry, cry, for me

naki sumo baby

naki all day long

and night

without a doubt

the trees are blowing

the clouds are moving

the floor is creaking

the ground is trembling

somewhere

within someone’s ear

shot

something’s happening

naki baby

cry, cry baby

cry for me

little by little I see

the bees

coming back

circling over

my honey suckle

my rain drops

on petals

my life

incomplete without a scare

a thought that someone is after me

and someone cares

after me

there is someone

there is anyone

and when I’m gone

I’ll say

cry baby

cried for me

remembered me

dragged the bad spirits down and

brought the good spirits up

and when I’m gone

I’ll still be standing here

waiting for you

and all of you

to cry for me naki sumo baby

cry, cry for me