Kemet Mawakana (aka “The Seven-Foot Poet”) is a highly acclaimed spoken-word artist, and has published two books A . . . Z . . . Infinity and Crucifixion of My Soul. The collective body of his works presented weekly in BAR are in tribute to Listervelt Middleton, Dr. John Henrik Clarke, and “For The People”. Currently, he is a facilitator at AYA Educational Institute (www.ayaed.com) and can be reached at sevenfootpoet(at)gmail.com.
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Vietnam
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At a young and impressionable age
sealed was his fate.
Taught the enemy was an animal
sub-human
now he’s brainwashed
so that he can start boomin’:
“Boom boom boom yeah I was gunnin’
And then you look and all you see is . . . .”
The enemy’s tiny foothold from within
would not submit or bend;
thus and so the war begins.
“Homies all standin around just hangin
Some dope-dealin some gang-bangin
We decide to roll and we deep . . .”
The American went on a mission called search and destroy
killing men
raping women and girls
and crippling boys.
Napalm strikes by air support
reinforced thoughts
that the enemy was either a criminal
or should be shot for sport.
Because of the undeniable conflict
between his training
and the independent conclusions
reached by his maturing brain
the American turned to narcotics
to put his mind at ease.
“Since I was a youth, I smoked weed out . . .”
But the war won’t end
it can never end for him
until he looks in the mirror and sees
-- he’s Vietnamese.
By Kemit Mawakana (aka The Seven-Foot Poet)
Peace (when appropriate) War (when necessary)
Copyright 2008.
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