The spark

They will break
yo heart when
they lose their spark…
they will go dark
cuss you out…
tell you that
you ain’t shit,
banished in the realm
of silence
amid the violence
that is cruelty –
the winsome
can be surly….
use the tongue
like swords
in antiquity,
to bend others
in service
to false idols
by way of
the hanging head
that will consume
the once mighty
now made to feel
less than…
breaking them down
to head in hands –

too caught up
in survival to be
an intellectual…
better to
know nothing
and blink twice,
remained seated
as foolishness
is practiced
in high places.
Our loyalties being
questioned,
house divided
cannot stand,
but reading books
ain’t glorious
no more and thusly
we don’t know
our history,
damned to repeat it,
hearing people
declare that words
don’t have power,
especially in
our darkest hours
y’all better listen
to your poets
before it is
too late,
especially
the oft quoted.