Lives and Matter: It’s Not Just Black and White

Been getting some good feedback on this poem/lyric. The poem was spurred by my frustration when in response to the declaration "Black Lives Matter," Pence and his ilk, would regurgitate, "All Lives Matter." Hope it resonates; if not help me understand why. Feel free to share. Mark

P.S. It also captures some of the many things I've learned the past two years working at the DC Mental Health Clinic, Inner City Family Services.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lives and Matter: It’s Not Just Black and White

Prologue

In the eyes of God, All Lives Matter

In the mind of man, it’s another matter!

~~~~~~~~

In the eyes of God, all lives surely matter.

In God’s eyes, all may climb Jacob’s ladder!

In man’s mind, do all lives truly matter?

In the mind of man, the truth is often sadder!

Black Lives, White Lives, all shades in between

From "humble" migrant workers to mighty Kings and Queens.

All Lives Matter, that’s what they simply say

But truth is rarely black or white

Why can’t we see hues gray?

In the eyes of God, White and Black are mirrors

In God’s eyes, soul brothers and soul sisters.

But in the mind of man, black and white’s for zebras

For in man’s mind, only some can be God’s creatures.

Black Lives, White Lives, all crayons of the pack:

The colors they are equal, but why are some held back?

Is the American Dream a vision or more

Halluci-Nation:  For all, land of the free? Oh, really?

"Come on bro, just takes a little longer to know your predestiny!"

In the ears of God, straight talk is info, street is poetry

And God knows how many brainbow ** kids fight through ghetto scenery.

In the ears of man, too much difference… Gate the community!

It’s prep education, King’s English elocution that confers "real dignity."

Black Lives, White Lives, all tied in a knot

Of lies, the rot of lies, cooked in the mythic melting pot.

But what if one turns knots to dreads

Natural locs of Rasta heads

On Snow White Goldilocks?

All Lives Matter, that’s what they simply say

Now I don’t mean to be unkind

But when folks cry, “I’m color blind!”

I morph into Clint Eastwood mind

And though intent to calmly pray, what comes out:

“Please Go Ahead… Now, Just Make My Day!”

In the eyes of God, race history does matter

In God’s eyes, the arc of justice must bend wider!

And know there is no healing rain, without the voice of thunder! **

But in the mind of man, one craves that “law and order”

And in the mind of “good ole boy,” few climb the corporate ladder

For by design, fat cats keep getting fatter!

So, “All Lives Matter,” that is their favorite song

It’s but mind over matter:  Oh, come on, just play along.

“Black Lives”…”No, All Lives”… Enough of this ping-pong.

Black Lives Matter, any less is just dead wrong!

--------------------

** brainbow:  neologism of “brain” and “rainbow”; brainbow kids:  minds and spirits capable of conjuring colorful, magical, far-seeing, imaginative and/or analogical ideas or images, from Douglas Hofstadter & Emmanuel Sander, Surfaces and Essences:  Analogy as the Fuel and Fire of Thinking, Basic Books:  NY, 2013

** Frederick Douglas on Struggle: "If there is no struggle there is no progress.  Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning, the want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters."

?  Mark Gorkin  2020

Shrink Rap ? Productions

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mark Gorkin, LICSW, the Stress Doc ?, is an acclaimed speaker, webinar presenter, critical incident consultant, and author. He provides part-time individual and group psychotherapy services for the DC Mental Health Clinic, Inner City Family Services. Mark is the author of Practice Safe Stress, The Four Faces of Anger, Fierce Longing and Fiery Loss, and Preserving Human Touch in a Hi-Tech World. See his award-winning, USA Today Online "HotSite" – www.stressdoc.com – called a "workplace resource" by National Public Radio (NPR).