MLK Poem
So here's the poem that I wrote that won the MLK writing contest. To be honest, I don't really consider poetry to be my most comfortable form to write in, but it ended up being the best option for me this time. The theme for the contest was 'Strength to Love' and my poem is called 'Love is Power'.
Sometimes I think we need better heroes.
Vengeance is the word of the hour, of the day, of the year.
‘The Power of Love’ just gets a walk on part in the
Widening wound that is our shared trauma.
That crusader of the Power is easy to imagine:
Dazzling hearts and pink
Lots of pink.
Easy to imagine, hard to take seriously.
But I know we’ve gotten it wrong,
Misplaced meaning amid the Valentines.
Love is not lighter than air.
Love is not frail and conforming.
Love does not always involve
Pink and Hearts.
Love is radical, Love is brave,
Love is Power.
What couldn’t we do if we Loved?
What eyes couldn’t we avoid?
What need couldn’t we ignore?
What crime couldn’t we forgive?
The blood gears of war would cease their vicious gnawing
The ribs wouldn’t jut,
The eyes wouldn’t glaze.
We wouldn’t be content to allow small parts
Or believe in small people.
But know that every player deserves a play.
And no swan song would sound
In the dark and the cold,
For none but a blade to hear.
But how do I love the monsters?
The bloodburnt, the grasping, the predatory.
How do I love the sinner and the sinned against,
Without hurting one or the other?
How do I love the monsters?
Does it help to know:
That Attila died of a nosebleed?
That Adolf played Cowboys and Indians?
That Saddam loved Doritos?
How do I love these humans?
These misshapen souls?
I don’t think I’m brave enough,
Or strong enough,
Or forgiving enough,
Or perfect enough.
But I must try;
Revolutions are in spin.
I must try;
Lives waste to famine.
And I know if I rely on it,
My heart will let me down.
That thing which is part and apart,
That thing which reaches out.
Not the heart, but the soul.
I must love without my heart.
I must choose to love.