This is my America

Mikaela writes in:

Yesterday morning's Bioneer radio program featured Raw Goddess, a hip-hop feminist, who talked about "This is my America." That became our first writing prompt of the day, and here was what came out of me:

This is my America –

ashamed of its opinions

wrong even when righting,

writing its way to obsolete,

righteousness overtaking thoughtfulness

in the fullness of our obese declarations of fights.

This is my America,

adamant waste,

unbashful elbows

wrapping their way across the globe.

Stay out of our way, says America,

even if your way is the right way,

and our way is weighted with the heavy hand

of injustice tipping the scales in our favor,

currency flowing to our modernity

that we declare new in every century.

It's a bloated fight, America,

your pudgy hands gorging

on Africa, spitting out her disease,

cleaning your teeth with Indonesia,

belching Belgium, rubbing your belly

with Rhodesia, tuning in for a little Jamaica

after your feast, our famine buffet.

You've deserted us

to make mints, America,

and we line up now in silence

all over the world.

It can't help to take back

what is already yours,

but we'll treat you in kind, America.

This one's on us.

And when your serving machine stalls,

the oven overheating, the burners

caked with grease from oil corruption,

we'll squeeze you thin, America.

Bold, then.

Bigger than you

even

in our silence.