Story: Not Done!

Submitted into Contest #45 in response to: Write a story about activism.... view prompt

33 comments

Creative Nonfiction

They say

(Who says?)

That actions speak 

Louder than words;

That one picture is worth

A THOUSAND 

Of those words

That value less 

Than our actions do.

Every time we pen

A poem

Everyone who writes 

A song

A person who scribbles 

A story 

And the chorus that

Shouts along.

Our words are nothing 

If we do not

SAY them

Our actions fall flat

If we do not 

SLAY them. 

March to the beat of 

A tired crowd’s drum

Help raise awareness 

For a new age to come.

Push back when the 

People tell you to be silent

Push back with your eyes

Just looks can be violent 

Hold hands with justice

And true freedom will ring

Hold hands with LOVE 

And with loud voices sing

Because you can be a piece

To the miraculous world 

Puzzle

You can be a part of the 

Solution;

Not part of the muzzle. 

It could be hard

Friends and family will contest

They may try to stop you

From leaving to protest

The things that you see

On the news 

Night after 

Night after

Night after 

Night

But this fight

Will be worth it the end

You can be an ally

You CAN be a friend 

You can go outside and make

A stand. 

Maybe you want to 

But fear you cannot

Maybe you don’t know why

This ongoing battle has to be

Fought

The good thing is

This knowledge can be sought

Ignorance forgot

That all is not for nought 

And your heart hurts 

(A lot)

When you see an innocent 

Person

Shot 

They were caught 

By someone who wasn’t taught 

That you must never let 

fair judgement rot

No,duh , you should not. 

The glint of the moonlight

Against the color of her skin

Is not an excuse 

To let bullets sink in

And the way that he looks 

Shouldn’t cloud their eyes

If we do not acknowledge this

Where do the truths in this

Country lie? 

Red, White, and Blue

But freedom isn’t ringing true

And red just reminds me 

Of a quiet jogger’s

Last run. 

Of those everywhere 

Who are tired of what

The enemy has become

But they are not settling

So the the story isn’t done

I guess we’ll have to keep

Our protests up

Till we all

Can stand us one.

United we stand,

Divided we fall,

Together we can stand,

Or alone we can crawl. 

Say the names

To your children 

To your friends

And those around

Say the names 

To your hands 

And then proceed to write them down.

Don’t forget how far away the future seems

When it feels like our home is being

Torn at the seams

By a president who seems

To only be interested in following his own dreams 

And who squashes the voices of those

Reaching for a day when people 

All people 

Say

Black Lives Matter 

Without a chorus hollering back

All Lives Matter

As they keep pretending they don’t 

See

The fallacies and tone deaf connotations

Of this statement. 

A hashtag meant to disarm

But in turn,

Just caused 

More harm

By taking attention away 

From what is the issue 

Like a swarm

Of bees spelling out

RADIANT 

In honey 

On a farm. 

Does it not bring you alarm? 

That this has gone on so long 

No matter how loud the voices are

That say, “Stop, please,” so strong?

Why are we still stuck on the same

Miserable song?

We have hands

No matter the color

Black, white, brown

We have a need for each other 

So CALL on me brother,

When you need a hand.

If we all are leaning on something 

Maybe we will learn to fly

And not fall

To 

Reunite and

Not have to feel so small

And so alienated 

What event instigated 

The idea that any of this would make sense?

Are we living in the moment

Or are you stuck in past tense? 

Grow up!

Lose the ideas that rich white men 

Planted in our heads when they arrived 

On boats to steal from people 

Who didn’t look 

Talk

Act

Live 

Like they did. 

Darling, darling…

Stand,

Stand by me.

Solidarity. 

Set your mind free

Don’t be captive to thoughts 

Of a whitewashed 

Monopoly 

Instead lean towards 

A multicolored 

CELEBRATION

You can help bring this to a nation

Breaking 

Crumbling in the hands of

A guy whose main proclamation

Is a twisted definition of the word 

Salvation 

Stop this pseudo declaration 

Tell the president he isn’t responsible for 

Creation 

And he’s echoing the voices of

Dictation 

Telling people what they can and can’t say;

Using the ration 

He’s been given as a reason to up his station

If we can we should use privilege as an

ELEVATION

Use your dollars that you earn as a donation 

If you don’t have money 

Watch some videos!

If you can’t spare the time

To sit and watch

Leave it on 

And let it run

It’s a small thing to do

But we wear glasses against the sun

When it shines too bright

Overwhelming the other natural elements 

And draining the fields of life.

Follow the links 

To help save future lives

Of generations here and those to come

Damage has been done

(Don’t try to erase it!)

Hundreds of years of hurt

(All the good ones still can’t replace it)

The best way to stop

(Don’t run, we can face it) 

Is to not continue

To quit 

With the script

That has caused us to split 

And to find a new story 

And an old director 

Who’s had the credits ready

Since before we were born.

Solidarity

Because I can’t think of a future

Where I have to explain to my children 

That our friends who aren’t white 

Are still being shot down 

For just being who they are 

Where they are

When they are

Instead of being able to walk

Or run 

Or drive with the music turned up

Or reach for a hairbrush 

Without worries of not making it back home. 


(Author’s Note: More Poems!!! I wrote this one kind of late last night. If there are typos or tone deaf things I said in this poem please call attention to this because I’m trying to use poetry to raise awareness for the Black Lives Matter movement in my community and in our country and I’d hate to be saying things that aren’t true, or sound like something I don’t mean to say. I can’t go protest so I’m writing poetry and short stories this week and knowing that the winners of this contest are going to be part of a great effort in this movement towards justice. I’m so glad to be part of a writing community that supports each other regardless of race, gender, religious backgrounds, nationality, and other differences. It makes me happy to see the Reedsy platform now used as a place to harbor activism of all kinds, not just this kind. Check out my other poem from this week to read about intervention or in my case lack thereof and read my poem from last week to read about the impact of drunk driving. Much love to all followers and readers and writers here with me today! Please comment and say hi below, and see my other poem for links to videos you can watch to donate money to the Black Lives Matter movement when you have no money or time to donate! Life is BUSY but so is the time to change in the country and the World! 🌸⭐️💕🌸⭐️💕) 


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June 07, 2020 05:00

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33 comments

15:18 Jun 23, 2020

Wow, what a great poem. Really great meter and rhyming and wow it was powerful! I just have to say...I think you're right that we have to stand with those who are oppressed. But I don't understand why people are offended by the slogan "All Lives Matter." I know that when people say that they are usually criticizing the Black Lives Matter movement. But in and of itself, the saying isn't wrong. "All" refers to all, including black lives. Black lives matter because every life matters. Every. Single. One. It doesn't matter if you're black, or w...

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Jubilee Forbess
16:54 Jun 23, 2020

Hey, thanks for reading my poem and I'm so glad you liked it! For the Black Lives Matter versus All Lives Matter... the main reason it is offensive to people is because when someone is trying to bring up an issue like police brutality and systematic racism in our country by making organizations and groups and starting movements like Black Lives Matter, to counter that with saying All Lives Matter is discounting what we are trying to achieve, which in this matter is ending the murders of African American people by the police. And, ah, America...

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Jubilee Forbess
16:59 Jun 23, 2020

Thank you so much for asking why it was offensive to some; I really appreciate that you are open minded enough to ask. :)

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18:17 Jun 23, 2020

Thanks for answering. I can see how that would be offensive to some people. I didn't mean that just because all lives matter black lives matter less, or that because all lives matter we shouldn't worry about the "smaller" murders of black people. I just think we're being too...broad. Can we pin down that one crime to mean that we have to overthrow the government because the rest of the police force is also corrupt? Everyone recognizes that there is a problem, but is this really the best way to fix it? We all have equal rights. If a police m...

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Jubilee Forbess
20:24 Jun 23, 2020

Right, that mostly all makes sense to me. :) it’s nice to have a civil conversation about differing opinions.

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20:58 Jun 23, 2020

Yes! I'm tired of all the angry arguments. I hope this can resolve well for our country.

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Jubilee Forbess
01:18 Jun 24, 2020

Just to let you know, I would never say the thing about the police brutality and racism not being such a big deal compared to the Holocaust anywhere again, because not everyone is up for a civil discussion. You know? Like for your own safety don’t share that thought with others.

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Jen Park
08:56 Jul 09, 2020

Beautiful!! It's not easy to write a long poetry like that and you did it. I think fighting against racism through poetry is a nice idea because words have power. I am a 13-year-old poet but I'm nowhere near you. :D I wish I can write a poem about racism that happens to Asians all around the world because of the Covid 19 began in China. I don't think all Asians or Chinese should be mistreated because of their government's fault. Of course, I would like to write one about Black Lives Matter if I can. I genuinely wish that all the peopl...

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Jubilee Forbess
15:04 Jul 09, 2020

And God bless you for your amazing response to the poem! I think it’s great you’re starting out so young, I’m fifteen myself so we’re both around the same age. :) I would love to read your poem in response to what’s going on if you put it on Reedsy. Also, about writing poetry, the best way to do it is to write about everything and everyone all the time day and night dark or light blind or sight. I wrote a poem yesterday at three in the morning for a friend who loves Adam Driver 😂 so that goes to show how much I write with a BROAD range of su...

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Jen Park
07:54 Jul 10, 2020

Wow! It is incredible that you're only two years older than me and you can write those amazing crafts! But I always have many pleasant surprises here on Reedsy, by the hundreds of incredibly talented people. I agree to you that it is the best way to practice poetry. A true poet should always find beauty in the smallest and sometimes most tedious things in our lives. So I would start out from the smallest details, and finally to the biggest things human hearts can ever hold. It's not easy for me to write English poetry because English is ...

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Jubilee Forbess
11:33 Jul 10, 2020

No worries, my friend! If you don’t mind, what’s your first language?

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Jen Park
13:35 Jul 10, 2020

My first language is Korean; that's why my last name is Park. :)

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Kelechi Nwokoma
03:51 Jun 12, 2020

United we stand, Divided we fall, Together we can stand, Or alone we can crawl. That part really got to me because it's so true. I love how you are fighting for Black lives through poetry. It's true that most of us can't go out to fight, so the least we can do is use our words to do the trick. Great job!

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E. Jude
19:52 Jun 09, 2020

Great!! Almost made me tear up!! I would love if you could check out my stories too XElsa

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Jubilee Forbess
03:53 Jun 12, 2020

I did; they were FANTASTIC! Everyone check her stories out please! You'll be happy you did!

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E. Jude
04:33 Jun 12, 2020

Thank you, Rhondalise!!

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Guilherme Copati
22:52 Jun 07, 2020

I'm so glad to hear courageous voices like yours, telling the truth like it is. We have a long way to go before we can achieve real equality, but an important part of the fight is speaking up! I stand with you in the fight, as an ally. Black lives do matter and we need to fight against racism stronger than ever!

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Jubilee Forbess
01:38 Jun 08, 2020

Thank you for listening to this! Another big part of the fight against racism is listening and reading. And using our voices as allies to reach others is a great use of talent!

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Avani G
15:22 Jun 07, 2020

Great story! I like that your using poems to help spread awareness! Great job!

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Jubilee Forbess
15:31 Jun 07, 2020

🌸🌸🌸🌸💕💕💕💕⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️thank you, Avaniiiiii!

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Avani G
15:42 Jun 07, 2020

Yesss, haha!

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Daryl Gravesande
14:16 Jun 07, 2020

Do you think it's cool to make me cry? Lol, just kidding. Great Story!

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Jubilee Forbess
14:28 Jun 07, 2020

I think it’s cool if it conveys a strong message 😂! Thanks for reading, General!

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𝔸. Triangle
13:05 Jun 07, 2020

I'm on the verge of tears this was so well done and conveyed such an important message. Wow. Sincerely, A.

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Jubilee Forbess
13:51 Jun 07, 2020

Thank you, that means a lot not just to me but that I conveyed a message so well to you means you understood the message through this poem and that makes all the difference. :D 💕💕💕thank you for being my first commentator!!!

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𝔸. Triangle
19:04 Jun 07, 2020

Welcome, Rhondalise! -A.

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23:50 Jun 30, 2020

Although I do have slightly different opinions, I did enjoy reading your take on everything going on in the world at the moment with all of the racism issues. You kept the flow of the poem smooth throughout the whole thing. Kudos to you for being able to keep on writing it until the end; I wouldn't be able to. Keep writing and stay healthy! :) -Brooke

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Jubilee Forbess
02:18 Jul 01, 2020

Thank you so much! I’m glad you appreciated it even with different views.

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02:21 Jul 01, 2020

You're welcome!

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Mehak Aneja
04:25 Jun 26, 2020

Great job. The way you represented this topic in a great poem. Could see your professionalism even though you are just 15 years old. I'm 14 but I'm nowhere near you. You write so beautifully. Would you mind to read my story too and share your opinions on it.

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Jubilee Forbess
14:44 Jun 26, 2020

For sure, no worries!

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