what is the meaning of independence day to the more than two-million incarcerated
a day to dance with brutal irony–a day to feel the burn of being isolated
some wounds never fully heal–leaving searing pain waiting in the wings
some scars send their roots deep–welding mind and body into a tortured being
in every jail cell the survivors of criminal injustice make their mark
carving names into wrought iron beds–leaving echoes of jackson pollack on the walls
our current regime aims to amplify this criminalization
o deport thousands of immigrants–to purify the white nation
last fall thousands of prisoners came together to strike
we must build solidarity with this resistance–and build the movement for black lives
battle scars cut deep–for the indigenous or trans,for the brown and black
the scars of never-ending trauma brand like lashes on our backs
but once recognized, scar tissue can be fertile ground for healing
we turn our pain into power, as community fuels our cosmic convening
scar tissue marks our past, but it can also mark our future
we can gather strength from old wounds if we relearn how to love and to nurture
–BYPO PHOENIX c) 2017
