IN POETRY
UN-sanitized
by Karen Georgia A. Thompson
Karen Georgia A. Thompson is a writer and poet who uses her writing as a tool of resistance as well as social and institutional critique. Her writing spans a variety of topics, often focusing on the pain of injustice and the call for justice. She is an ordained Christian minister and a practitioner of African Traditional Religions. She is a passionate advocate for justice who preaches and teaches globally. She was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY. Follow her on Twitter: @SoNoNonsense; and Instagram: karen_georgia
Karen Georgia A. Thompson is a writer and poet who uses her writing as a tool of resistance as well as social and institutional critique. Her writing spans a variety of topics, often focusing on the pain of injustice and the call for justice. She is an ordained Christian minister and a practitioner of African Traditional Religions. She is a passionate advocate for justice who preaches and teaches globally. She was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY. Follow her on Twitter: @SoNoNonsense; and Instagram: karen_georgia
I tried to teach my sons
what my parents
attempted to teach me
they tried to keep me safe
they did their best to warn me
there are rules, they said
rules to be upheld
these rules unwritten
these rules filled my head
these rules kept me in check
institutionally chained
these rules kept me sanitized
with these rules
there was shaming and pain
keep your mouth shut
avert your eyes
hands on the wheel
no moves that surprise
no fancy cars
no fancy clothes
learn your place
keep your disdain off your face
I played by the rules
I taught my kids
be polite,
to follow those rules
smile when you are pissed
keep your hands where they can be seen
bring your anger home,
don’t show your rage
in the streets
don’t run after dark
dress the right way
don’t walk in a pack
that guarantees
you stay off the front page
the more polite I am
the more that boots presses into my neck
my anger must be kept in check
gloriously sanitized
while your ill-will and hate
is fed like spit on a plate
the open hatred you display
the fearless way you name your disdain
I must swallow like a pill
as my words get stuffed in my throat again
to not be that angry Black woman
I must keep my mouth shut
nod my head
shrink into your back room
well, here’s the news
I was never one to cower
I will no longer de-sanitize myself
in the confines of my shower
in an attempt to keep you satisfied
when you are so damned wrong
the hot water cannot remove the staining
of your words
the soap cannot cleanse
the rage that you provoke
I am choking to death every day
on the anger I swallow
every time I go out
go do your work
re-educate yourself
you are not better because you said
so get your dirty boot
off my neck
I will no longer “watch my words”
I will no longer fear your stinking jails
I will no longer allow you to define me as unsafe
my un-sanitized self you will meet today
with your guns, your privilege, your pale
I afforded you grace
the scriptures you used said that was my place
I suggest you not confuse me with the Holy
or use my race as some deep disgrace
my anger you will meet
I will walk on able feet
rather that sit and swallow that stuff that you mete
so step back slowly out of my space
you will not determine my worth
you will not determine my words
you will not write my script
I will be heard
the fear is gone
the revolution has begun
remember
you heard it here first
KGAT
15:03
Plane ATL-CLE
16 November 2016
what my parents
attempted to teach me
they tried to keep me safe
they did their best to warn me
there are rules, they said
rules to be upheld
these rules unwritten
these rules filled my head
these rules kept me in check
institutionally chained
these rules kept me sanitized
with these rules
there was shaming and pain
keep your mouth shut
avert your eyes
hands on the wheel
no moves that surprise
no fancy cars
no fancy clothes
learn your place
keep your disdain off your face
I played by the rules
I taught my kids
be polite,
to follow those rules
smile when you are pissed
keep your hands where they can be seen
bring your anger home,
don’t show your rage
in the streets
don’t run after dark
dress the right way
don’t walk in a pack
that guarantees
you stay off the front page
the more polite I am
the more that boots presses into my neck
my anger must be kept in check
gloriously sanitized
while your ill-will and hate
is fed like spit on a plate
the open hatred you display
the fearless way you name your disdain
I must swallow like a pill
as my words get stuffed in my throat again
to not be that angry Black woman
I must keep my mouth shut
nod my head
shrink into your back room
well, here’s the news
I was never one to cower
I will no longer de-sanitize myself
in the confines of my shower
in an attempt to keep you satisfied
when you are so damned wrong
the hot water cannot remove the staining
of your words
the soap cannot cleanse
the rage that you provoke
I am choking to death every day
on the anger I swallow
every time I go out
go do your work
re-educate yourself
you are not better because you said
so get your dirty boot
off my neck
I will no longer “watch my words”
I will no longer fear your stinking jails
I will no longer allow you to define me as unsafe
my un-sanitized self you will meet today
with your guns, your privilege, your pale
I afforded you grace
the scriptures you used said that was my place
I suggest you not confuse me with the Holy
or use my race as some deep disgrace
my anger you will meet
I will walk on able feet
rather that sit and swallow that stuff that you mete
so step back slowly out of my space
you will not determine my worth
you will not determine my words
you will not write my script
I will be heard
the fear is gone
the revolution has begun
remember
you heard it here first
KGAT
15:03
Plane ATL-CLE
16 November 2016