Winner of the 2024 Toni Morrison Day Award
I
i remember
when a young kid could
live with such
blissful ignorance.
that was the pinnacle
of life
i remember
when a young kid was
oblivious to the reality
that lurked behind
his own closet door–
the house,
a cage, takes
away freedom.
the streets
felt more welcoming,
a boundless realm
that invited
idiocy
II
time
is a raging fire–
a boy
is a bird in an oak tree
time was always
burning, a boy notices
but instinctively
dismisses it
but a boy continues
to grow and the hands
of the world grabs
more gas
pouring into the flames
making them cruel,
quicker,
unignorable
III
i remember when
a grown man yearned
to live with
blissful ignorance.
for that was
the pinnacle of life
the streets,
so welcoming,
contained such a
chaotic reality
the house
seems more accepting,
more at peace,
a barrier from
the raging flames