Wide Awake Now Can you believe this? They got my heart on a stick Bare, open and bleeding While my tired brain sits in its temple pleading To keep my soft little refugees Safe and whole From hands that stole Sanity from my soul Fists fly by Can't find their way Into the wall fast enough Ready to take and take Until the whole world is at stake From our all-too-common mistakes See, I can use the word "hate" But it doesn't satisfy my need to create A new way of healing Aimed toward appealing modes of reality That maybe none of us will see Caught in a hopeless wander Like I can't go on any longer The rage rises in my throat Wrists with bloodstains Focus down the drain Inhaling smoke and butane Every step is a struggle Guilt I can't un-puzzle But something moves me To not lose me Among inhumane cruelties If you only felt this Knot in my throat That grows & implodes on my soul Washing away the rage That sucked me into a deadly cycle of violence That silenced my true voice My choice to be free Out of control hunger pains for change I want to break away from this unjust monstrosity I wish we could get right politically in this country But unfortunately They still dictate our lives and zig-zag knives Between paralyzed fingers Maybe I'm just a juvenile Worried that the world won't be beautiful enough To be handed down to us Burdened by debt Stereotypes and terrorist threats that never left Pre-occupied with revenge For something that doesn't exist Except on our "to do" list Where dreams procrastinate until next year A tomorrow that never gets here But if we can't get past yesterday There will be hell to pay We are worth more than that Our dreams are worth more than that Our aspirations bigger Than the obstacles we strive to get past Determined to outlast our parents We don't have to play with the cards dealt All suits wild You are your own child With a beautiful smile Strengthened by the giving tree Of personal responsibility To share your inner voice of liberty Through self-expression We shall overcome ... oppression. -Darlene Chavarria