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into a changing history

Despite vast conversations of justice and liberation during and well after 2020, liberation is still one high wall away from society. A reflection on the historical events of that time, this poem embodies our emotionally and physically draining experiences that resulted. What will it take to reach liberationand how far are we from breaking these barriers?


Written by Jahiem Jones

Edited by Amanda Siow

 



after so much being promised, how can one commit to the broken?

it was expected that after so much darkness, a brighter future would appear

that we can learn to love ourselves again,

that we can finally arise from this depression,

realizing that power has to be grasped by the roots

yet we’ve withstood another year of misplaced aggression,

another year of grieving and sorrow

however in all our hurt and pain we’ve managed to stay hopeful


we’ve only yet to brave the belly of one beast let alone a dozen

but still, in all our back bending and hunger,

only a crack has formed between the walls of liberation

that it would take centuries alone to reverse the damage of only yesterday’s plight


in an era where masks and trending murder became the past of our present

we’ve learned that silence is not a response,

that past events are not just passing events

what we call normalcy was the wake up call to authority

and while we look upon our future,

history is mocking us with shame and bitterness


where we become one and not the sum of

until we can learn to love without the intention to harm,

change stands not between us, but before us

that it can divide us and then conquer within


it was supposed to get brighter ever since that year,

we were promised a land of all greatness

however, we trod along the path to survival

that we can embrace the beauty of revolution

we will rise and rebuild

we will emancipate and establish

we will believe and then be

the change that this year needed.

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