What To Believe

 Do you believe 
 In the statistics 
 In the census findings 
 In the corporate memos 
 Over the lyrics 
 Of someone’s song 
 Lyrics not generated 
 By a computer 
 But by the pain 
 And the joy 
 Generated by someone
 Covered in flesh 
 Inhabited by every homeless
 Emotion in existence 
 Do you believe 
 The lies of the fork tongued
 Man in the three-piece suit 
 Or the wholesome calm couple 
 Standing on your door step 
 Lovely god a fearin’ folks 
 Do you believe  
 In the tabloids 
 In the news articles 
 In the black and white photos
 That are so mangled 
 That the truth is lost 
 Do you believe in those photos
 More than the bitter words 
 Spat out of the wet mouth 
 Of some en-powered slam poet 
 Who knows nothing 
 And everything 
 But especially 
 How the splintered wood stool 
 Feels under their ass
 And how the yellow spot light 
 Makes you sweat lightly 
 Between the shoulder blades
 Do you believe the phone book 
 Over the idealist on the corner 
 Do you believe the preacher 
 Over the natural
 turn of the seasons
 What do you believe 
 What do you believe in 
 What were you taught 
 to believe in 
 And what were you taught
 to ignore 
 There has to be some 
 Rule sheet somewhere 
 Telling us what to believe 
 Because we believe 
 In the wrong things 
 Belief isn’t taught
 It is learned 
 And only when it its free
 I have more belief 
 In that slam poet 
 Than in any statistics 
 You can give me 
 The computers
 Only generate facts 
 Which I’ve never 
 Been interested in
 And the businesses 
 Only generate professionalism  
 Which I’ve always avoided   
 And my mind only generates 
 What its been taught 
 And so I avoid myself. 

jasmine~ that is an amazing piece of work. you know i love, well, everything, that you write, but this is one of my newest favorites. keep at it girly. you are amazing. one day soon you are going to burst through the sky and amaze even the stars. i love you~sarah