The world is full of angst, heartbreak, devastation, and color, beauty, and hope. Poets have spilled much ink processing all of the things that happen in the world, and that is one of the ways I personally process as well. So here are a few poems that I have written recently to process … well… everything.
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Self-proclaimed
She was a poet because she wrote words.
It does not matter who reads them
Or if they were “good”.
Art is for the creator,
The by-product is the observer.
But that’s not the same as making a claim
For which due process is required
The law of the lands, and the seas, and the sky
Is not beholden to one person's whim.
Panels and editors may judge the art
By various metrics and standards
And the artist can still stand by the work
Regardless of the merit determined by others.
Free and fair elections in which the country's citizens
Feel no fear in making their voice heard
Is this the only way to truly make the claim
That you are a leader among men.
Original poem by Caitlin Mallery, upon the death of Renee Good
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Dominoes
If I fall
Everyone behind me
Also falls
So I raise my voice
For my daughters to also have voices
And choices
And I speak so my sons
Will defend the weak
From the cruel who see themselves as good
For the mothers of color
And all they have suffered
I must stand
Because if I fall
Everyone behind me
Doesn’t stand a chanceOriginal poem by Caitlin Mallery, considering Black History
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Beyond
I spend a lot of time in the hereafter
Walking into a room only to wonder
What am I here after?
The plot is unraveled and tangled
Not even a single strand of sense
Or brand new angle.
What lies beyond remains enshrouded
In the mists of timelessness
Where truth is clouded.
I am here after hope, and peace,
And joyful resistance
And love beyond ease.
The plot thickens, the clouds darken
And yet light shines
Above the horizon.Original poem by Caitlin Mallery
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