Poetry from workshop today
History (Shadows)
Write down your history, they say
What history, I ask?
I've got a story to tell
But no one to listen to it
A story full of tragedy
One or two times a comedy
Young and old, north and south
I've traveled east and west
Bounced from corners, passed each course
Dodged obstacles that could cause harm
Blame it in my genes, my blood
my skin, my eyes, my lips and nose
From them, I learned prejudice, judgment
Back in the 80s, barely awake
Dealt with more than I deserved
More than I asked for
Down to the 90s, half asleep
And I sailed downhill from there
Disease, dilemmas, downsides
Depressed, deranged, drained
Past now repressed and gone
A black future ahead
A black hole, swirling gap
No ways out, silence forever
It's quiet...
I've got shadows for friends
And a shadow for a story
So am I just a missing piece
Of history?
Or a legend lurking, living
Alive in the shadows
-Copyright 2009: Carter Tachikawa