Repair
by Arvis E. Mortimer
April 18, 2018
Summary
Repair highlights the foundation of all revolutionary and liberatory pursuits – truth and reconstruction – and seeks to share factual information about present realities – often unacknowledged – and past events – often unavailable – that may bolster and inspire confidence in persons disparaged by the pursuit of empire. This poem also attempts to stimulate deep contemplation in the reader – one question that should be particularly discernible is: has colonization really ended or has it shapeshifted? In the aforementioned example strikethroughs were the tool employed to facilitate this inquiry. Poetic form was used to conjure beauty, feeling and concision.
Dazzling depictions in verdant greens, alluring blues
deep browns, luminous yellows do not detract the
̶f̶o̶r̶m̶e̶r̶l̶y̶ colonized from seeing reality colored sepia.
Repair requires truth.
Discrepancies between the portrayed
experienced, lived, felt – cause disequilibrium
with parity being sought externally often.
Repair requires truth.
Gaze affixes to the f̶o̶r̶m̶e̶r̶ colonizer described
benevolently, affably, cheerfully, falsely
in absence of an accurate history disseminated.
Repair requires truth.
Dominance means destruction of lives
community, family, identity – necessary for
the dream of ̶e̶m̶p̶i̶r̶e̶ globalization.
Repair requires truth.
Docility and compliance are never given
willingly, easily, pleasantly, completely –
there is always opposition, there is always fight.
Repair requires truth.
The rebels – Pompey, Pontiac, Lakshmi Bai, Nanny, Kimathi
Wickrama Sinah, Quamina, Myat Toon, Sharpe
Papineau,Toussaint L’Ouverture – are our heritage.
Repair requires truth.
Revisionism rejected heals and honors
actuality acknowledged strengthens and guides
both are revolution, and the basis for liberatory praxis.
Repair requires truth.