LA SHAWNA GRIFFITH

LA SHAWNA GRIFFITH 

TORN

Today, I am in tears,

Not the physical ones running down my face,

The ones that flow on my insides,

26 people killed,

These persons the same color as me

B-L-A-C-K!

Leaving families to mourn for their loved ones

Whose lives were taken from them

By persons who swore to serve and protect

My insides are full of tears,

I'm numb,

It hurts me,

It could have been my family in that situation,

I'm torn on the inside

So much blood on the ground,

Innocents killed all for what?

For what?

FOR WHAT ?

No possible reason

People’ being lynched feels like slavery all over

Is this supposed to be the land of the free?

Freedom for whom???

I am torn,

I am hurting,

But I know violence is not the answer

We need justice,

The evidence is their clearly depicted

Why isn't anyone being arrested?

As a black female author and poet

I could not speak as I was so numb,

But, I can use my pen,

This violence has to stop

But in order for it to stop

We must realize it needs to stop,

I would be a fool to say

All officers in the USA are racist

Some are not

Some are cold and sinister

Some killed a man in front his 4 year old daughter

On the other hand, we see Officer Jones who sincerely wants us to come together to end the violence,

Martin Luther King said that he believes one day blacks and whites can live in unison,

And I pray that prayer,

I pray that the news reads finally peace on earth

But realistically when will it happen

When?

When?

I am torn,

I am torn,

I can't even begin to think what the families are feeling,

How they explain to young children what happened,

How can you explain that dad was shot to a four year old?

How can you explain mom was shot at work by someone who was frustrated in the criminal system?

What is the solution?

Maybe if we arrested those who committed these horrific crimes then it would lead to the black community having a bit more faith in the criminal justice system.

If we respected each other and loved each other

We all have the same organs

So why do we hate someone because of their complexion?

So why are we afraid of them?

Why are we killing them?

I am torn and my heart is broken

As I had to log out of my Facebook this morning;

As I could not continue to scroll down my page and witness someone's loved one being murdered

We need to STOP THIS MADNESS!

Let's come together,

Let's fire the bad cops,

And arrest those who murdered the innocents,

That is all we need

For this war to end

Black lives matter

Save our black people

Black people live in the land of the free

I am torn

I am torn,

I'm numb,

I cannot write anymore

Please I am begging you let's stop the madness

(C) L.Griffith 2016

CAN YOU MAKE A CHANGE?

You with the short pants on

All the tattoos

And "skinning out"

How do you view life?

Do you believe you will make a good wife?

A good mother to your daughter?

Can you lead by example?

Show your little girl the right way?

Make a change?

Can you?

Would You?

You with the pants below your waist

Have you ever been in jail?

And been someone's whore

For a pack of cigarettes

Are you into anal sex?

Are you the “baddest” boy on the block?

Maybe you are a little out of luck

Are you a value to your country?

Or are you two minutes away from being someone's daddy?

Can you make a change?

Can you?

Would you?

You the twerking queen

On social media letting everyone see

Your vagina,

Breast

What you have to offer

Did you think that after those fellas done talk about….

How good you look

And how flexible you are when…

 They are looking for  a wife

You’re the last in line

Unless they are looking for a good time

Can you make a change?

Can you?

Would you?

You beautiful black girl

Bleaching your skin to fit in with the world

As you long for your race to be accepted

So you put more and more cream on your skin

Praying that you will kill all the Melanin 

So that you will no longer be black and ugly

But clear skinned and pretty

Can you make a change?

Can you?

Would you?

You racist man

Blame your culture

For hating blacks

As they are disgusting

Never once did you question

If this culture

Is fit for consumption

If something is truly wrong with the Africans

Can you make a change?

Can you?

Would you?

You looking at me when I look in the mirror

Are you happy with what you see?

Did I make you proud?

Are you glad of my talent?

Happy I tried to make a change through words?

Did I make a change?

Can I make a change?

Can I?

Should I?

You on the block

Using all of that effort to do illegal trade 

Imagine what you can offer if you do legal trade

And become a business man

Stop baking the heads of our school children

With your narcotics

Would you allow your children to use them?

Can you make a change?

Can you?

Would you?

You heartless individuals

Who post images of dead persons

On social media

Imagine if that was your loved one

Would you like to hear the news on Facebook?

Can you please make a change?

Can you?

I beg you?

Can all of you

Make a change

So that our nation rises again

And we have productivity

Or nation’s children are free to be whoever they are

With no negative influences

Or your bad habits

To pull them down

Please make the change

I beg you

Can you be the change?

I think you can be!

LA SHAWNA GRIFFITH APRIL 2015

LA SHAWNA GRIFFITH is an emerging poet who was born and resides in beautiful Barbados. She is twenty- two years of age. She truly loves writing pieces to promote change in the world. Her goal is to become a voice for the voiceless, a hope and an inspiration. La Shawna is aspiring to be a great literary legend like her idol and role model Miss Maya Angelou who was a phenomenal poet and revolutionary and it is no surprise that La Shawna’s favorite poem is “I know Why The Caged Bird Sings” She states clearly "Poetry is my diary ... and it is a book that can never be filled …

La Shawna has been making serious waves as she has been featured in two online magazines which are the Afro news which is an African online newspaper where she was on the front page and also World Poetry Canada on their featured artiste page both in July. She has also had her work read in Don Bank Australia by a fellow poet  Danny Gardner who was so in love with her work that he read the original piece  “The Clock” to all of the poets whom attended the Don Bank Show! La Shawna has taken that step further being the 1st black Barbadian to enter Noisside Poetry Competition which is indeed a great fete as entrants to this competition are from thirty countries around the world. In addition, La Shawna entered NIFCA 2015 where she advanced to the semi finals with one of herself penned pieces “The Budge Hit” where she played the character Malicious Patsy.

Moreover, she represented Barbados in 2015 when she was the sole person from Barbados to have her poetry featured at World Poetry Peaceathon in Vancouver Canada. Where her poem “How Many of us will go the distance!” was one of the poems that were gifted to over 100,00 students from the Irving K. Barber Learning Center. On October 19th 2015 she was invited to an interview with Teisha Hinds on the Mid-morning Mix to speak about her 1st publication La Shawna- Unlock The Door which she published at the tender age of twenty – one. The book La Shawna- Unlock The Door which is collection of thirty seven self penned poems is making great strides as it has received great reviews on Amazon and Good reads respectively. In July 2016 La Shawna received a review and a feature in India by a renowned Indian Poet who wrote a beautiful review about her book in Kitaab International as well as Bureaucracy Today Magazine. Moreover, recently her book has been listed on Walmart as well as Barnes and Noble stores internationally. In Barbados her book La Shawna- Unlock The Door is available at The University Of The West Indies Cave Hill Bookshop for $45.00 BDS. La Shawna is truly making waves for Barbados and continues to put Barbados on the map with her poetic skills...