The World We Leave Them

My son is almost twelve,
And he can pick up a textbook
To plot his course and destiny.
For a model, he had Malala Yousafzai,
Who taught him the value
Of education and resistance.

His life will be so easy
Compared to children
Living near Azadi Square,
Growing up with fire raining
From the drones’ constant roar;
Children—generations—in the Niger Delta,
Who live and die without ever seeing
Stars twinkle in the night sky;
Epstein’s victims; ICE’s victims;
Tribal kids with missing and murdered
Mothers, sisters, cousins, and kin;
Trans kids suffering from
hydronephrosis and renal failure
Who can’t pee in Kansas, Idaho,
Texas, Florida, or Utah;
Renee Good’s kids or Liam Ramos;
Or Tamir Rice, Antwon Rose, Ma’ Khia Bryant,
And the many others
Who aren’t here to help us fight.

My daughter’s six, so we watch
Cooking videos from Gaza,
Where she sees toddlers baking cakes
With powdered milk and bottled water
From the tents they call “home”;
Folksongs shining a harsh light
On the clash between hegemonic values
And intrinsic, human truth;
Drag Kings with glittered beards,
Who know the best make-up hacks
For applying vibrant rainbows of sparkle
And matching audacious platform heels;
Groundhogs climbing trees;
Boys her age posting Sephora hauls
featuring their perfect shade of pink blush.

But Roe is gone — where will she be safe
When a disastrous frat party
Leaves her with consequences
More than just hymen-deep?
Will she get to choose her name
When the SAVE Act passes
In a land that testifies
Only a small handful of
Males are created equal?

How do I teach them
Not to defer their dreams?
It’s time for Langston and Malcom,
ai, June Jordan, Margrette Atwood,
And the age-old debate of Locke vs. Hobbes.
But will the sound of putting my fist
Through the Eurocentric curriculum
Rise above the constant mumble
Of YouTube from their tablets?

And will the lessons of the past be enough
To navigate the world we leave them?
Toxic air contaminated by white phosphorous,
Pulverized buildings, and the bones of their peers;
Democracy broken by Citizens United
And dictated by The Heritage Foundation;
Water poisoned by fracked methane;
Horizons dominated by smokestacks pumping out
430 parts per million atmospheric carbon because
99% of wealth concentrates in the 1% of hands
Wrapped around the world’s throat;
And fossil fuels burning through long nights
Lit by exploding bombs.