I Pledge Allegiance to Truth
By: Yorri Berry
Once upon a time I pledged allegiance
I pledged allegiance to the flag of the United States of America
And to the republic for which it stands
One nation, under God, indivisible
With liberty and justice for all
But today
Today I pledge allegiance to truth
I pledge allegiance to truth
Thus forcing the regurgitation of lies digested for years
So today I stick my revolutionary finger down my throat like a struggling bulimic
Refusing to keep toxic deceit in my purified spirit any longer
And I give you back the lies in the garbage can it should have remained in to begin with
All for justice and liberty with
Indivisible, God under, nation one
Stands it which for republic the to and
America of States United
The of flag
The to allegiance pledge I
Allegiance pledge I
Time a upon once
Upon a time
Stood I
A little caramel mocha girl in my catholic school uniform
I stood there
Watching the American flag blowing with the wind
Proud
Hand across my heart
Beating fast
Believing indeed
Having some kind of faith in this country to which I pledged allegiance
Loyalty
Faithfulness
I trusted these United States of America to be
One nation, under God, indivisible
With liberty and justice for all
Trusted it to be one nation not one nation rooted in economic & racial separation
On every application wanting to know if I’m African-American or Caucasian
Latino or Haitian
Of Indian decent of or Asian
Yet still claiming to be one nation…under God…indivisible
Embracing liberty and justice
Even then, my petite twelve year-old frame knew that something wasn’t right about me reciting those words authentically
And today, twelve years later, my liberated mind and commitment to truth won’t let me utter such a pledge and still walk away with my dignity
My reciting would be an indication of my saluting you America
And I don’t pledge allegiance to you
No, today I pledge allegiance to truth
Maybe my words make me unpatriotic but I was never a patriot anyway
And if I have to choose between being what you deem a faithful American or revolutionary in thought and deed then I’d rather bring forth revolutions of change any day
Yes I still smell the smoke that covered liberty
131 years and 19 amendments later finally deciding to move forward with the enactment of Women’s suffrage allowing women the right to vote yet still in this 2008 women still don’t receive equal pay for equal work
Yes I still smell the smoke that covered justice
Brutally beaten, shot in the head, then thrown in the Tallahatchie River with a 75 pound cotton gin tied to little 14-year old Emmett Till’s neck while his killer walked and still today the Sean Bell’s of the world can get 50 bullets put inside of him by men shooting and neglecting instead of serving and protecting and still walk away without penalty
Yes I still smell the smoke
And yes the smoke still covers the hope of the liberty and justice you claim to stand for
The oneness you claim to promote
And the only indivisibility with which I can link you to is failure to be worthy enough of my trust
I trusted you to educate my little brothers but instead of investing in his education you prepare him a cell and track him into incarceration by allowing $476 million dollars to build a new prison instead of a better school
I trusted you to do something about the 9 million American children without health care but instead you’d rather be spending billions on a war establishing democracy in foreign nations instead of fighting for egalitarianism and social equality on this American soil, this supposed land of the free you call democracy
I trusted you to heed to King’s dream and do more than deliver broken promises, a broken economy, disconnection and disregard for the fact that freedom ain’t ringing in most of the neighborhoods where the people look like me
I trusted you to make us a priority
Women, elderly, poor, minorities
I trusted you to make us a priority
Yet again you didn’t come through
So today my allegiance is pledged to truth and possessing an undying commitment agitating for liberty and justice for all
Not you America
Not you
Yorri Berry is a Katrina Survivor and a poet who has granted YourBlackWorld.com permission to offer her thought-provoking poems to the masses. Look out for more of her highly enriching poems. Click here to Contact Ms. Berry.
1 comment:
I didn't understand the concluding part of your article, could you please explain it more?
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